Overview
- NASA published an L‑band radar image produced in August 2025 that shows Nunatak Zaterjavshijsja in East Antarctica and was nicknamed the “hummingbird” by NISAR scientists; the image was released publicly in mid‑July 2026.
- The image uses polarization color coding so magenta shows horizontal surface reflections, green highlights vertical or volume scattering from crevasse faces and subsurface structure, and white marks areas with strong mixed returns.
- NISAR is a U.S.‑India mission carrying the first dual‑wavelength SARs on one satellite, combining NASA’s L‑band and ISRO’s S‑band with a 12‑meter (39‑foot) drum‑shaped reflector to probe ice beneath snow that optical sensors cannot see.
- Scientists say the picture demonstrates NISAR’s ability to map crevassing and internal ice features that reveal how glaciers deform and flow, information needed to improve models of glacier movement and potential sea‑level contributions.
- Mission teams have begun releasing radar data in late July 2026 so researchers can use repeated NISAR observations to monitor fast‑changing polar regions, while some reports linking this scene directly to Thwaites Glacier are based on limited sourcing.