NASA satellite images show Antarctic island resembling a skull
The October 2026 imagery of Vega Island reveals extensive bare ice following a warmer than average winter.
NASA Earth Observatory released satellite images on 30 October 2026 showing Vega Island in the Weddell Sea appearing like a human skull. The visual effect is created by a combination of natural features including a rocky peak, a lateral moraine and the Bahía del Diablo glacier.
The October 2026 images, captured by the Landsat 9 Operational Land Imager, show much more bare ice compared to an earlier image from 22 March 2025. The newer view shows large grey areas where snow has disappeared, leaving darker ice exposed.
Glaciologist Mauri Pelto of Nichols College told NASA that above-average temperatures during the 2026 winter, especially in June, contributed to the bare ice. Pelto said the winter season was no treat for these glaciers, noting that limited snow accumulation, sublimation and wind scouring left the surface exposed.
Pelto explained that bare ice is darker than snow and absorbs more solar radiation, which can accelerate melting. He stated that while snow insulates the glacier, exposure to melt causes the features to weather away.
The island's glaciers have been studied for decades, with a 1982 study cataloguing 29 glaciers. The Devil’s Bay Glacier has been monitored since the 1998 to 1999 austral summer, showing a decline in mass over that period.