Satellites watch an escaping Antarctic iceberg | Space photo of the day for Oct. 28, 2026
Iceberg A-81 escaping the Weddell Sea and drifting near the edge of South Georgia's underwater shelf.
On October 20, 2026, a massive Antarctic iceberg known as A-81 was captured by a satellite, drifting towards the edge of South Georgia's underwater shelf. This particular iceberg had broken off from the Brunt Ice Shelf in January 2023, embarking on a journey that took it an incredible 1,400 miles (2,300 kilometers) north of its original location within three years. Generally, such large icebergs do not travel at this speed, making A-81's rapid escape from its home all the more remarkable.
The satellite image, taken by MODIS on NASA's Terra satellite, shows the iceberg near an underwater shelf off the coast of South Georgia. Icebergs like A-81 are known to break off from larger ice shelves, but recent events have seen Brunt Ice Shelf release multiple large icebergs in succession. This photo, obtained from NASA Earth Observatory, highlights the importance of Earth-observing satellites like Terra in monitoring our planet's changes.
These satellites provide valuable insights into Antarctic ice, which is of growing concern due to climate change. The rising global temperatures are leading to the acceleration of polar ice melt, contributing to rising sea levels, worsening natural disasters, and more.
Written by urgent.news from Space.com's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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