NASA satellite images show skull-like formation on Antarctica island
Images of Vega Island reveal a facial shape and significant areas of exposed glacier ice following a warm winter.
Satellite images from NASA have captured a formation on a remote Antarctic island that resembles a grinning human skull, according to a report by the Hindustan Times.
The formation is located on Vega Island in the Weddell Sea, east of the Antarctic Peninsula. The appearance is created by natural geological features, including a rocky peak that looks like an eye socket, a lateral moraine forming a mouth, and the Bahía del Diablo Glacier acting as a jawbone.
The images were taken by the Operational Land Imager on the Landsat 9 satellite on March 22, 2025, and October 10, 2026. While the March 2025 image shows the island covered in snow, the October 2026 photograph shows large patches of dark, exposed ice.
Glaciologist Mauri Pelto of Nichols College said the exposed ice was partially caused by temperatures in the Antarctic winter, specifically in June 2026, being higher than average. Pelto noted that limited snowfall, sublimation, and strong winds also played a role, stating that the winter season was not easy for the glaciers.
Pelto warned that darker ice absorbs more solar energy than snow, which could speed up melting during the upcoming Antarctic summer. He explained that while snow preserves the skull shape, exposure to melting will cause the eye socket and jawline to change as it weathers away.
A 1982 study identified 29 glaciers on the island. Researchers have monitored the Devil's Bay Glacier since the 1998–1999 Antarctic summer, documenting a decline in its mass alongside ice loss and exposed bedrock elsewhere on Vega Island.