A late autumn snow blankets the Rocky Mountains. Colorado lies in the centre of the image, with the snow-covered Rockies in the western half and the nearly snow-free high plains in the eastern half. Near the centre is Pike's Peak at 4,302 metres. In the north lies Denver, which can be seen as a gray mark on the tan landscape. Between teh two, a green crescent shape can be seen. This is the Black Forest, an island of pine trees on the prairie

Photograph: MODIS/Aqua/NASA