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A Korean satellite has caught an heart - entrance sight of an island in Mexico know for a deep , rocky hole and waters so dark that they earned it the name Holbox , a name that means " bleak trap . "
The photo was take by the Korea Multi - purpose Satellite 2 , or Kompsat-2 , and shows Holbox Island and its Yalahau lagoon at the northeast corner of Mexico ’s Yucatan Peninsula .
Holbox Island is a 26 - mile - long ( 42 - kilometers ) flight strip of land separated from the mainland by the lagoon .
" The freshwater lagoon has a deep jolty jam that surrounds the island , establish the water appear black , " officials with theEuropean Space Agency , which is a pardner in theKompsat-2 mission , explain in a command . " It is thought that Holbox , which in Mayan translates as ' black hole , ' was key after the disconsolate lagune water . "
Holbox Island is situate at an oceanic meeting point of sorts where the Atlantic Ocean , Gulf of Mexicoand Caribbean converge . The mixture of these waters creates a nutrient - plentiful environment that supports an abundant array of marine life , ESA officials say . [ The World ’s Biggest Oceans and Seas ]
At Caboe Catoche , a cape at the easterly tip of the island , the mixing of the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico create a unquestionable kaleidoscope of watery turquoise and emerald color .
Because of its horde of marine spirit , Holbox Island and its surroundingwaters are protectedas part of the Yum Balam Biosphere Reserve . The island ’s beach of livid coralline sand function as a life-sustaining home plate for polo-neck nest and more than 500 species of birds , while dolphins , manta rays and several shark species drown offshore .
The region is also home to the public ’s largest known gather of whale shark the bombastic fish on the planet for five months of the year , ESA officials said .
The Kompsat-2 artificial satellite has been snap exposure of Earth from orbit since it launched into place in 2006 . The satellite was build for the Korea Aerospace Research Institute to provide continuous Earth observation reportage following its forerunner , Kompsat-2 .
ESA serves as a third - company better half in the missionary work and use ground - based infrastructure to receive , procedure and distribute the image from Kompsat-2 .
