The lush landscape of the island of Ireland and the coasts of Scotland, Wales and England, are pictured in this view from the Copernicus Sentinel-3 mission.

Zoom in to explore this image at its full resolution or click on the circles to learn more.

The island of Ireland consists of Northern Ireland, in the top eastern corner, and the Republic of Ireland to the south. The island of Ireland lies west of Great Britain, separated by the North Channel, the Irish Sea and St. George’s Channel.

The image is from January 2024 and was captured on a relatively clear winter day. Ireland enjoys a mild climate, owing to the influence of the Atlantic Ocean (to the left) and the presence of the Gulf Stream. South-westerly winds from the Atlantic tend to bring a lot of rain in the northwest, west and southwest of the country.

The extensive grasslands that cover most of the country, washed by abundant rainfall all year, create the typical emerald-green landscape, hence it being known as the Emerald Isle. Brown rugged cliffs along the west coast frame the island’s green interior, speckled by hundreds of lakes, visible as dark spots in the image.

Clear to see are the mountains of Donegal (north), Mayo and Galway (west) and the Macgillycuddy’s Reeks in the southwest. Carrantuohill in the Macgillycuddy’s Reeks is the highest point on the island.

Owing to high concentrations of algae in the water, green and brownish swirls can be seen off the coastlines.