Full moon helps paint vibrant, muddy 'brushstrokes' in Indonesian river — Earth from space

Planet Earth Rivers & Oceans Full moon helps paint vibrant, muddy 'brushstrokes' in Indonesian river — Earth from space Features By Harry Baker published 28 April 2026 A 2024 satellite snap shows suspended sediments streaking across the mouth of the Rokan River, thanks in part to a particularly high tide caused by a full "Strawberry Moon." When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. Th Landsat 8 satellite spotted a series of "brushstroke-like patterns" in the mouth of the Rokan River, which were painted by an extremely high tide. (Image credit: NASA/Landsat) Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter QUICK FACTSWhere is it? Rokan River, Sumatra, Indonesia [2.2294556537, 100.62990147]What's in the photo? Brushstroke-like patterns of sediment painted by a high tideWhich satellite took the photo? Landsat 8When was it taken? June 23, 2024This beautiful satellite snap captured a series of "brushstroke-like patterns" that emerged in the mouth of an Indonesian river. The striking striations were triggered by a particularly high tide following a full "Strawberry Moon."The Rokan River is a roughly 220-mile-long (350 kilometers) waterway on Indonesia's Sumatra island. The landmass covers around 170,000 square miles (440,000 square kilometers) in the Indian Ocean, making it the sixth-largest island on Earth.The river runs from the Barisan Mountains in Sumatra's west to the island's north coast, where it drains into the Strait of Malacca. Here, the river morphs into a brackish estuary that flows on each side of Halang Island (photographed). You may like Trippy 'biomass' snap reveals first detailed look at our planet's carbon stores Gemstone-filled river and striped mountain ridge form massive 'Y' in China's revitalized desert 3 rivers merge into striking half-and-half waterway in Guyana The Rokan River often has a yellow hue due to high levels of sand and silt in its waters. The sediment gets dragged up from the river's floor, partially due to the constant rising and falling of the tide, according to NASA's Earth Observatory.In this image, the tide is on its way out, which causes the sediment to be slowly dragged out to sea. When viewed from above, these "brushstroke-like patterns" transform the river into what looks like an abstract painting, Earth Observatory representatives wrote. The Rokan River stretches for around 220 miles (350 km) through Sumatra's rainforest and experiences a regular "tidal bore." (Image credit: JOKER/Jörg Löffke/ullstein bild via Getty Images)When the photo was taken, the high tide was at its peak ‪—‬ up to 16 feet (5 meters) higher than low tide. The water was especially high because it was the day after the full "Strawberry Moon" rose in the sky, according to the Earth Observatory. (June's full moon is nicknamed the Strawberry Moon because it coincides with the strawberry harvesting season in the Northern Hemisphere, not because of its color.)The tidal range is greatest when there is a full moon because the sun and the moon are aligned in a straight line, so they gravitationally push and pull Earth's oceans in sync. This is known as a "spring tide," but it happens throughout the year. window.sliceComponents = window.sliceComponents || {}; externalsScriptLoaded.then(() => { window.reliablePageLoad.then(() => { var…

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