When astronauts onboard the International Space Station ( ISS ) are cruise over 400 kilometers ( 250 miles ) above Earth ’s surface , it ’s not strange to see the bloody mickle of the planet oozing with a gory reddish fluid . There are a caboodle of case behind this phenomenon ( none of which involve the spilling of blood , to our knowledge ) .
As explained byNASA Earth Observatory , these two persona ( above and below ) were captured using a humble Nikon digital tv camera in September 2023 by a penis of the Expedition 69 crowd and another of the Expedition 70 work party .
The first , scud on September 7 , shows the Laguna Colorada in the Bolivian Andes running down the side of South America . Here , the rusty crimson hue is theresult of red algaebooming in the wake of optimal environmental conditions , most notably its hyper - piquant shallow waters .
The Laguna Colorada, or Red Lagoon, in the Bolivian Andes on 15 May 2025.Image credit: ISS/NASA
A interchangeable process happens in soundbox of water system elsewhere in the world , such as theGreat Salt Lakein Utah which oftentimes takes on a deep - pinkish chromaticity . It mighteven be the reasonwhy the Bible talks of the River Nile running with the line of descent in times of pest and discord .
The 2nd photo , film on September 30 , shows the Betsiboka River Delta in Madagascar . Although the water face similar , a different outgrowth is cause its coloration . In this instance , the river is ply red due to iron - rich deposit in its waters .
This is a standardised cognitive operation to the infamousBlood Fallsof East Antarctica . This visually arresting site was first seen by homo in 1911 by British explorer Thomas Griffith " Grif " Taylor during one of the early Antarctic expeditions by Europeans . At the time , Grif and his crew thought the vibrant color was due to red algae – and understandably so .
However , astudy in 2023found that analyzed samples of Blood Falls ' water system and found an abundance of iron - rich nanospheres that sprain red when oxidized .
