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This Copernicus Sentinel-2 image shows agricultural development in the desert of southern Egypt, close to the border with Sudan.

Egypt is over 95% desert, making a very small proportion of its land suitable for agriculture. As the demand for food grows, the need for agricultural development in desert areas has intensified. This comparison highlights an important land reclamation project, where Egypt’s Western Desert is being used for agriculture, and how it has developed between 2015 (here) and 2025 (here).

Thise false-colour image has been processed using Sentinel-2’s near-infrared channel to display vegetation in red – a particularly stark contrast to the desert areas across the region. The resulting range of colours, from red to brown, is a more accurate representation of different types of crop or different growth stages, compared to true-colour images.

Such satellite data are therefore useful in agricultural monitoring for mapping and classifying land use, crop type, crop health, change detection, irrigated landscape mapping and crop area mapping.

Changes over the past 10 years are clearly visible in the images. In 2015, the barren landscape of south Egypt looked like any other desert. But over time, land cultivation has increased, transforming the area into viable agricultural land by 2025.

The shapes of the fields indicate the irrigation method used. Most of the cropland is divided into circles, up to 800 m wide. This is due to the central-pivot irrigation system, with water supplied by a set of sprinklers rotating around a well at the centre. Since no crops can grow in this climate without intensive irrigation, the fields are perfectly round. This type of irrigation helps farmers manage their watering demands and conserve precious resources.

Canals can be seen as thin, black lines cutting through the agricultural fields and supplying water from Lake Nasser, visible in black on the bottom right. One of the largest artificial reservoirs in the world, Lake Nasser is the result of the construction of a dam across the waters of the Nile to provide irrigation in the nearby areas.

In the 1980s and 1990s, the diversion of water from Lake Nasser created the Toshka Lakes featured in the top left corner. These endorheic lakes are filled by overflow from Lake Nasser through a manmade canal, clearly visible in the 2015 image snaking its way into the Sahara Desert.

The comparison also reveals extreme variations in the lakes over time. The rise and fall depend on fluctuations in water flow from the Nile. Between 2012 and 2018, the lakes had shrunk significantly, leaving only small remnants of water in the basins, as visible in 2015. Summer rainfall in Sudan in 2019 and record-breaking floods in 2020 rapidly replenished the lakes, which appear fully filled in 2025.

Copernicus Sentinel-2 plays a key role in mapping differences in land cover to understand how it is used over time. While providing detailed information about Earth’s vegetation, the mission also measures water quality and detects changes in water bodies, supporting sustainable water management – a valuable tool for arid areas where water is scarce.

Credits: contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data (2025), processed by ESA; CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO

europeanspaceagency posted a photo:

The subject of today’s ESA/Hubble Picture of the Month is an ancient inhabitant of our galaxy. This sparkling scene is of a globular cluster: a collection of tens of thousands to millions of stars, all tightly bound together under the influence of gravity. Astronomers know of more than 150 globular clusters in our galaxy, though there may be others yet to be discovered, hidden from view by dust or densely packed fields of stars.

This particular globular cluster is NGC 6723, sometimes called the Chandelier Cluster. Much like its namesake, this cluster sparkles with countless lights — but each ‘lightbulb’ in this chandelier is an individual star 27 000 light-years away in the constellation Sagittarius (the Archer).

Globular clusters like NGC 6723 contain some of the oldest stars in our galaxy. The ages of these clusters often exceed 10 billion years old, and some are nearly as old as the Universe itself. Globular clusters are thought to be some of the first structures to have formed in our galaxy, coalescing potentially billions of years before the thin disk of stars in which our Sun orbits. The details of how globular clusters formed, however, are not yet certain.

Astronomers initially thought that all stars in a globular cluster formed at the same time in a single flourish of star formation. This would mean that all stars in a globular cluster would be the same age and be made of the same mixture of chemical elements. Now, thanks to observations from telescopes like Hubble, researchers know that these seemingly simple stellar populations have more complex histories than originally thought.

Hubble first observed NGC 6723 as part of an ambitious survey dedicated to demystifying the properties of globular clusters in our Milky Way galaxy. In this observing programme (#10775, PI: Sarajedini), researchers used Hubble to study 65 globular clusters in our galaxy in visible and near-infrared light. These data allowed researchers to study everything from the ages of globular clusters to the process through which massive stars sink to the centre of a star cluster and lower-mass stars drift toward the cluster outskirts. This survey has been immensely scientifically valuable, and these observations have inspired several hundred published research papers.

In a later observing programme (#13297, PI: Piotto), researchers set their sights again on many of these same clusters, including NGC 6723. This time, they used Hubble’s unique sensitivity to ultraviolet light to detect the subtle variations in chemical composition between the stars of globular clusters and determine the age spread among the clusters’ stars. For NGC 6723, researchers found evidence of two closely-spaced periods of star formation, the second occurring within 634 million years of the first. (‘Closely-spaced’ is relative; 634 million years is a blink of an eye for a star cluster that is more than 10 billion years old!)

Thanks to these findings, astronomers are on the path to understanding how and when globular clusters formed — and Hubble observations of celestial chandeliers like NGC 6723 are lighting the way.

[Image Description: A globular cluster. It is made up of many thousands of bright stars, tightly-packed in the centre and more spread out at the corners, but filling the entire view. The stars are coloured either orange or bright blue, with the blue stars mainly concentrated in the centre. Orange stars are located mainly around the edge, and also vary in size from small dots to glowing stars with four points, based on their position in the foreground or background of the cluster.]

Credits: ESA/Hubble & NASA, A. Sarajedini, G. Piotto; CC BY 4.0

europeanspaceagency posted a photo:

This Copernicus Sentinel-2 image shows agricultural development in the desert of southern Egypt, close to the border with Sudan.

Egypt is over 95% desert, making a very small proportion of its land suitable for agriculture. As the demand for food grows, the need for agricultural development in desert areas has intensified. This comparison highlights an important land reclamation project, where Egypt’s Western Desert is being used for agriculture, and how it has developed between 2015 (here) and 2025 (here).

Thise false-colour image has been processed using Sentinel-2’s near-infrared channel to display vegetation in red – a particularly stark contrast to the desert areas across the region. The resulting range of colours, from red to brown, is a more accurate representation of different types of crop or different growth stages, compared to true-colour images.

Such satellite data are therefore useful in agricultural monitoring for mapping and classifying land use, crop type, crop health, change detection, irrigated landscape mapping and crop area mapping.

Changes over the past 10 years are clearly visible in the images. In 2015, the barren landscape of south Egypt looked like any other desert. But over time, land cultivation has increased, transforming the area into viable agricultural land by 2025.

The shapes of the fields indicate the irrigation method used. Most of the cropland is divided into circles, up to 800 m wide. This is due to the central-pivot irrigation system, with water supplied by a set of sprinklers rotating around a well at the centre. Since no crops can grow in this climate without intensive irrigation, the fields are perfectly round. This type of irrigation helps farmers manage their watering demands and conserve precious resources.

Canals can be seen as thin, black lines cutting through the agricultural fields and supplying water from Lake Nasser, visible in black on the bottom right. One of the largest artificial reservoirs in the world, Lake Nasser is the result of the construction of a dam across the waters of the Nile to provide irrigation in the nearby areas.

In the 1980s and 1990s, the diversion of water from Lake Nasser created the Toshka Lakes featured in the top left corner. These endorheic lakes are filled by overflow from Lake Nasser through a manmade canal, clearly visible in the 2015 image snaking its way into the Sahara Desert.

The comparison also reveals extreme variations in the lakes over time. The rise and fall depend on fluctuations in water flow from the Nile. Between 2012 and 2018, the lakes had shrunk significantly, leaving only small remnants of water in the basins, as visible in 2015. Summer rainfall in Sudan in 2019 and record-breaking floods in 2020 rapidly replenished the lakes, which appear fully filled in 2025.

Copernicus Sentinel-2 plays a key role in mapping differences in land cover to understand how it is used over time. While providing detailed information about Earth’s vegetation, the mission also measures water quality and detects changes in water bodies, supporting sustainable water management – a valuable tool for arid areas where water is scarce.

Credits: contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data (2015), processed by ESA; CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO

europeanspaceagency posted a photo:

Given no path, a group of explorers makes their own way through a cave. While one scouts ahead, others survey the area and map their progress.

The demanding exercise is part of the outdoor and technical lectures five ‘cavenauts’ are receiving from ESA’s CAVES training before they head off to explore independently a cave system in the Italian Apennines. They are learning new skills and work safely as a team in an alien environment, as if on a risky space expedition.

Rope climbing is one of the skills the trainees must master to climb, descend and move across uneven terrain. Like during a spacewalk, they get to grips with the tethers to stay securely attached at all times, their view narrowed to what headlamps can reach in total darkness. They tackle vertical drops of up to 35 metres, with rope re-belays of 20 metres maximum.

Participants of the eighth edition are ESA astronaut Rosemary Coogan – pictured here in the foreground – member of ESA’s astronaut reserve and the Fly! project John McFall, NASA astronaut Tracy Dyson, NASA astronaut candidate Ben Bailey, and JAXA’s Ayu Yoneda.

While learning to be safe on a rope, each trainee has to think about how to fulfil a role: commander, lead of the scouting or survey team, or the person responsible for logistics at the campsite. Every participant has a role, rules and goals to follow. From day one, they build their team and grow together.

For two intense weeks, this multinational and diverse group of fast learners experiences the psychological extremes of real exploration to become better spacefarers. The training encourages them to stay curious and autonomous.

CAVES is consistently rated by astronauts as one of the best experiences to help prepare astronauts for spaceflight. ESA is the only space agency to offer this type of training.

Similarities with spaceflight abound: isolation, strict EVA-like tether procedures and safety protocols, limited supplies and scientific research tasks are all part of the mission. The trainees learn mapping and surveying techniques, as well as the art of underground photography to document their journey.

Other analogies with spaceflight include constant situational awareness, effective communication with the ground – only twice a day – and making complex decisions.

After completing the first leg of the training, it’s time for them to take full ownership of the expedition. From today and for four days, they will live and work together in a pitch-black cave, cut off from the outside world. Each will hold a role that swaps halfway through.

The path they choose will shape their growth as space travellers and as a team.

Follow their expedition on our CAVES Flickr gallery and on ESA’s social media platforms.

Credits: ESA/V. Crobu

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Former Toys R Us/Cotton On being fitted in. Any idea what it's going to be?
Something that can encourage kids to be off their screens and be engaged into more physical activity perhaps?
Find out as time progresses!

Popplio728 has added a photo to the pool:

Original 30+ Year Old signage on the western end that had been in place since the building opened.
And that will be removed too in the meantine.

Popplio728 has added a photo to the pool:

New Pressed & Co cafeteria being fitted in.
It's been nearly nine years without a place to eat there since Caffe Buongiorno closed its doors!
And it's even taking up the space where Wendy's Supa Sundaes was too!

Popplio728 has added a photo to the pool:

Former Toys R Us/Cotton On being fitted in. Any idea what it's going to be?
Something that can encourage kids to be off their screens and be engaged into more physical activity perhaps?
Find out as time progresses!

Popplio728 has added a photo to the pool:

New Westfield signage replacing the 30+ Year Old Tea Tree Plus one that had been in place since the building opened.

Popplio728 has added a photo to the pool:

New Pressed & Co cafeteria being fitted in.
It's been nearly nine years without a place to eat there since Caffe Buongiorno closed its doors!
And it's even taking up the space where Wendy's Supa Sundaes was too!

Popplio728 has added a photo to the pool:

New Westfield signage replacing the 30+ Year Old Tea Tree Plus one that had been in place since the building opened.

Popplio728 has added a photo to the pool:

New Westfield signage replacing the 30+ Year Old Tea Tree Plus one that had been in place since the building opened.

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Aviva Studios, Manchester
The late singer gets a thrilling tribute from a cast of 10 dancers in Sonya Taleh’s heartfelt show

‘I’m just a troubled soul who needs to scream into a mic now and then,” said Sinéad O’Connor. Troubles and screams both sing out in The Surge, an ode to her by American choreographer Sonya Tayeh.

The singer, who died in 2023, attracted both worship and scorn in her lifetime. The Surge is an act of devotion – 10 women sit on pews, swaying, sliding and indeed surging around them. They leap up, circle and shudder as the songs possess them – moved and inspired, they might be dancing in tongues.

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De meeste mensen zullen er nu niet aan moeten denken: met deze temperaturen op fietsvakantie. Toch durfden Marianne en Theo Oostrom het aan. "We zijn vroeg begonnen", zegt Marianne deze ochtend. Vrijdag is code rood afgegeven, in onze regio wordt het tussen de 34 en 38 graden.

De beroemde klassieker Reis om de wereld in tachtig dagen kreeg een postkoloniale opfrisbeurt van schrijver Adwin de Kluyver, met veel vertelplezier. Tijdens het avontuur hebben zijn personages ook oog voor de sociale misstanden in de negentiende eeuw.

ROSMALEN (ANP) - Bouwbedrijf Heijmans verwacht dat de werkzaamheden voor een aanzienlijk aantal projecten vrijdag worden stilgelegd vanwege de hitte. Een woordvoerder legt uit dat de keuze bij projectleiders afzonderlijk ligt, maar dat de bedrijfstop heeft benadrukt dat veiligheid en gezondheid belangrijker zijn dan de voortgang van een project.

Volgens de woordvoerder is een algemeen beeld niet te geven, ook omdat per regio en werkplek de temperaturen verschillen. "Veiligheid en gezondheid staan daarbij voorop. Maar er kan bijvoorbeeld gekeken worden of in de planning geschoven kan worden tussen binnen- en buitenwerkzaamheden", geeft de woordvoerder aan. Volgens cao-afspraken stopt bij temperaturen boven de 35 graden sowieso al het werk in de volle zon, zoals asfalteren of dakdekken.

BIDDINGHUIZEN (ANP) - De bezoekers van het hardstylefestival Defqon.1 in Biddinghuizen verlaten vrijdagochtend rustig het terrein. De sfeer is gemoedelijk, laat een woordvoerder van het festival weten. De 50.000 bezoekers hoorden donderdagavond laat dat het festival vroegtijdig wordt beëindigd om de door het KNMI afgekondigde code rood in onder meer Flevoland. De campinggasten moeten voor 18.00 uur van het terrein zijn.

In de nacht van donderdag op vrijdag was het enige tijd onrustig op het terrein bij Walibi, vermoedelijk vanuit frustratie omdat het festival verder niet doorgaat. Een groep van "minder dan honderd" personen haalde volgens de zegsman vlaggen uit masten, trok hekwerk omver en danste op Dixie's. Volgens de organisatie was dit snel onder controle en heeft de politie niet in hoeven grijpen. Die stond wel paraat. De politie bevestigt dit.

Er zijn vrijdag 109 bussen ingezet om festivalgangers naar Lelystad en 't Harde te brengen.