“Bharat hits different”: Russian satellite Roscosmos image shows India in mysterious green glow; social media flooded with reactions

The recently released satellite photo by Roscosmos has been making headlines around the world, not because of anything significant happening on the planet, but due to its peculiar representation of Earth. The picture was taken by Electro-L, a weather satellite, and shows Earth in a wide-angle shot, with peculiar colours which make it very unique. India, especially, has some kind of green hue, which has caused a lot of buzz on social media sites. The colours may seem artistic, but there is actually a scientific explanation for them. The experts have pointed out that the photo was made using different spectral bands, even infrared light, which helps scientists study vegetation, clouds, ocean patterns, atmospheric changes, and environmental conditions more accurately from space, while also improving long-term climate monitoring, seasonal forecasting, and global ecosystem analysis for research purposes.According to the X (formerly Twitter) post by the Russian embassy, the picture has been provided by the organisation known as Roscosmos and has been taken using the Electro-L satellite of that company, which focuses on monitoring the planet continuously. This photograph shows the vast majority of the surface of the Earth in a single picture. Various continents like Eurasia, Africa, Australia, and even Antarctica are seen.India has a prominent presence in this photograph. This is because of the bright green colour of India in comparison to other dark colours in the photograph. The photograph was then put up on the internet by the Russian embassy in Kenya.The colours that appear in this picture are not natural from the standpoint of traditional colours. This satellite utilises ten different bands for data capturing. Only a few among these ten bands cover the area of visible light; only green and blue colours can be mentioned here. The other bands are used to analyse infrared radiation that is invisible to people but important for science.Infrared bands are used to observe changes in temperature, humidity, and cloudiness in different layers of the atmosphere. As to the green colour above India, it most probably combines many environmental factors; either this colour shows a high vegetation rate or a high level of moisture in this area.While this image was spreading on the Internet, it evoked numerous responses. Many viewers found it to be aesthetically pleasing. Some concentrated their attention on the unique view of India. Other viewers appreciated the natural beauty of our planet when seen from space.Though the comments were diverse, they were united in one thing - they all reflected fascination with the image, regardless of whether its cause could be easily explained scientifically or not.Alongside the image, there were updates about Russia’s satellite infrastructure. According to official figures, the country currently operates around 1,559 active satellites. These include both civilian and military systems. According to the X (Formerly Twitter) post, there are also plans to increase this number significantly in the coming years, with projections reaching up to 2,600 satellites.This expansion is expected to strengthen capabilities in areas such as weather forecasting, communication, and Earth observation.