Astronauts say this is one of Earth's most recognizable spots - can you guess where it is?
A NASA astronaut with a steady hand took this picture with a Nikon digital camera from the International Space Station. The chunky archipelago cut through by wispy, wavy lines might not look familiar to you (it might not even look real), but to astronauts, it's one of the most recognizable sights when looking down at Earth from 200 miles into space.
Do you know where it is?
The picture shows the prominent tidal channels running between a chain of small island cays off of Great Exuma Island in the Bahamas.
Exuma (just out of the picture to the right) is remote from the other, bigger Bahamian islands. Small tidal changes on the banks of the nearly nine miles of cays cause large quantities of water to flow back and forth between the islets. The darker blue parts are where the water has cut through the rock ridge that makes the line of cays. The channels are deepest there. Where the water is shallower (less than 80 feet), the water appears lighter blue.
The Exhuma cays are known for being the private island playgrounds of celebrities such as Jonny Depp, Tyler Perry and country music super-couple Faith Hill and Tim McGraw.