Mount Ruapehu As Seen From Orbit

Thomas Pesquet: Mount Ruapehu, to the east of Mount Taranaki and also mostly snow-capped.
Top tips for telling it apart? This mountain has lakes, little siblings (including Mount Ngauruhoe aka Mount Doom), and is farther from the coast. New Zealand, land of elves, dwarves and orcs if you are fan of Lord of the Rings, land of an exceptionally good rugby team for me. From below as in space it has breathtaking scenery and amazing landscapes. That explains all the films shot there, but not the rugby… ? At the centre of an almost perfectly circular area of forest, Mount Taranaki is unmissable from above, and this week’s Vendredi Volcan.

Mont Ruapehu, grand frère du Mont Destin du Seigneur des anneaux… ?? Terre du Milieu pour les uns, terre de ? pour les autres (dont moi !) : bienvenue en Nouvelle-Zélande. Parmi ses paysages magnifiques, des ? enneigés et une péninsule ont particulièrement attiré l’objectif de mon appareil… J’imagine qu’ils ont fait une apparition dans le Seigneur des anneaux ou la saga du Hobbit.

Credits: ESA/NASA-T. Pesquet Larger image