The European Space Agency (ESA) is Europe’s gateway to space. Its mission is to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world.
Find out more about space activities in our 23 Member States, and understand how ESA works together with their national agencies, institutions and organisations.
Exploring our Solar System and unlocking the secrets of the Universe
Go to topicProtecting life and infrastructure on Earth and in orbit
Go to topicUsing space to benefit citizens and meet future challenges on Earth
Go to topicMaking space accessible and developing the technologies for the future
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This Envisat image, acquired by Envisat's Medium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MERIS) instrument on 25 January 2010, captures the deep freeze that has gripped southeastern Europe in recent days. Along with Arctic temperatures, heavy snowfall has covered (counterclockwise from top right to bottom right) parts of the Ukraine, Moldova, Romania, Bulgaria, Greece and Turkey. The cold snap is a result of cold Arctic air sweeping across the region. The northerly wind is visible in the cloud formations over the Black Sea. Wind direction is reported by the direction from which it originates, so a northerly wind blows air from north to south.