This unusual view of the world is oriented on the Arctic around summer solstice, June 2010, when the region is bathed in daylight 24 hours a day. The Arctic Circle is marked by a faint circle in the image.

Water appears in several forms in this image: as solid ice, liquid water, and atmospheric gases. Greenland has the highest albedo (that is, it appears the brightest) because it is covered with an ice cap. Sea ice, found west and north of Greenland, appears as a pale gray-blue. Clouds are water vapor and appear throughout the area. Through the clouds, oceans, and possibly even lakes – liquid water – is visible.

^{Courtesy of Jeff Schmaltz/NASA’s Earth Observatory. earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=44524. Public Domain.}