![](\"http:\/\/www.esa.int\/var\/esa\/storage\/images\/esa_multimedia\/images\/2014\/04\/radar_image_of_the_netherlands\/14486597-1-eng-GB\/Radar_image_of_the_Netherlands_small.jpg\")
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\nThis image over the west coast of the Netherlands is one of the early radar scans by the Sentinel-1A satellite, which was launched on 3 April.\n<\/p>\n
\nThe satellite\u2019s advanced radar can provide imagery under all weather conditions and regardless of whether it is day or night. It can scan Earth\u2019s surface in a range of different modes, enabling it to monitor large areas in lower resolution or to zoom in on a smaller region for a sharper view.\n<\/p>\n
\nOne of the many application areas of the data will be the surveillance of the marine environment, including monitoring oil spills and detecting ships for maritime security, as well as measuring wave height.\n<\/p>\n
\nIn this image, we can clearly see radar reflections from the ships at sea, appearing like stars in a night sky. The two collections of \u2018stars\u2019 are reflections from large-scale offshore wind farms, used to generate electricity.\n<\/p>\n
\nOther visible features include the city of Amsterdam on the centre-right side of the image, and the runways of the nearby Schiphol airport. In the lower part of the image we can see the city of Rotterdam, with Europe\u2019s largest port extending to the left.\n<\/p>\n
\nSentinel-1\u2019s radar will also be used for monitoring changes in agricultural land cover \u2013 important information for areas with intensive agriculture like the Netherlands.\n<\/p>\n