Peak Fall Foliage Around Ottawa

An astronaut aboard the International Space Station captured this view of Ottawa, Canada on October 14, 2020, right at the peak of autumn color. The Ottawa River winds through the center like a dark ribbon, splitting the scene into the gray grid of the cities on one side and a fiery patchwork of woodland on the other. Locals call this seasonal display "the Fall Rhapsody," and from this height you can see why. Sugar maple leaves turn orange-red while hickories shift to golden-bronze, spreading across the hills in one great burst.

The science behind the color is simple. As air temperatures drop and daylight shortens, plants slow and then stop making chlorophyll, the molecule they use to turn sunlight into food. Chlorophyll is what makes leaves green, so when it fades, the yellow and red pigments that were there all along finally show through. This image also shows how nature and human settlement sit right next to each other. On the right, streets and rooftops fan out in tidy rows, while the left dissolves into rolling forest that no one planted. The scattered clouds near the lower edge are a reminder that this was a real moment, caught from orbit.