Biblical plague returns: Satellite images reveal blood-red Nile

The Copernicus program can help predict droughts.

A new image from European Space Agency's (ESA) Sentinel-3A satellite reveals a blood-red River Nile, reminiscent of the Biblical plague of Moses' time.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - According to Exodus 7:20, "Moses and Aaron did as the Lord ordered. He raised his staff and struck the waters of the River, with Pharaoh and his officials looking on, and all the water in the River turned to blood."

The scripture continues, stating the fish died and a foul odor was emitted from the blood-red waters. It was no longer safe to drink and so one of the plagues came to pass.

As the ESA satellite image suggests, the Nile is once again blood-red. However, this time the Nile is not the recipient of God's plague - it was merely photographed using a Sea and Land Surface Temperature Dariometer (SLSTR), which measures energy radiating from the Earth's surface.

What appears to be a blood-red river is actually an image of the vegetation growing alongside it. 

The purpose of the satellite, which has joined more than 12 others in orbit above the Earth, is part of the Copernicus program, which the ESA claims to be the most advanced Earth observation system ever to be launched.

Two of the satellites already in orbit have radar and high-resolution cameras and Sentinel-3A includes instruments to measure sea and surface temperatures. 

Combined, the satellites can help detect upcoming droughts, detect small changes in surface temperatures that can predict crop failures and can literally scan the entire world in just over 24 hours.

Data can be received within hours, which allows scientists to understand data in near-real time. Other implications of the technology remain to be announced.

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