SPACEPHOTOS

Between the North and Baltic seas, Denmark points north from Germany toward Norway and Sweden. This true-color image taken by the satellite on August 9, 2004, shows almost completely clear skies over the nation, with the exception of thin cirrus clouds over the Kattegat Strait (between northern Denmark and southern Sweden). On Sjaelland island, the satellite detected four active fires (marked in bright red); the bottom two of which are sending thin plumes of smoke into the atmosphere. Copenhagen, Denmark’s capital, is located on the peninsula north of Koge Bay, facing Sweden near the lower right edge of the image. The city appears grey against the brown and green landscape; it is better viewed in the higher-resolution images.