![](\"http:\/\/www.esa.int\/var\/esa\/storage\/images\/esa_multimedia\/images\/2015\/07\/northwest_sardinia\/15501890-1-eng-GB\/Northwest_Sardinia_small.jpg\")
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\nThis image over part of the Italian island of Sardinia comes from the very first acquisition by the Sentinel-2A satellite.\n<\/p>\n
\nLaunched in the early hours of 23 June, the \u2018colour vision\u2019 mission for Europe\u2019s Copernicus programme delivered its first image of Earth on 27 June, which covered a 290 km-wide strip from Sweden down to Algeria \u2013 including part of Sardinia.\n<\/p>\n
\nThe area pictured covers a section of the island\u2019s northwestern Sassari province, with parts of the coast visible along the left side and bottom. Agricultural fields dominate the inland, with a large area of vineyards at the centre of the image.\n<\/p>\n
\nWhile the satellite mission will provide optical data for land monitoring, its main instrument has 13 spectral bands. This false-colour image was processed including the instrument\u2019s near infrared spectral channel \u2013 which explains why plants in the area pictured appear red.\n<\/p>\n
\nThe varying shades of red and other colours across the entire image indicate how sensitive the multispectral instrument is to differences in chlorophyll content. This is used to provide key information on plant health and, for this image, the brighter reds indicate healthier vegetation.\n<\/p>\n
\nIn the lower left section, we can see a large hilly area with significant vegetation \u2013 indicated by the red colouring. However, a bright white\/light-blue section of this area shows where the hills have been cut into for surface mining.\n<\/p>\n
\nIn some areas, the agricultural fields appear outlined in red as well. This comes from the presence of hedges, which may have been planted to protect the crops from wind. Such hedges provide a habitat for smaller animal species and birds, so even small-scale habitat monitoring can be performed by Sentinel-2.\n<\/p>\n
\nOther visible features in this image include the Alghero-Fertilia Airport just left of the centre, and the port of Fertilia directly to its south. Near the port, the waters of a lagoon appear different compared to the waters of the sea to its south, because of the difference in chemical composition. This first acquisition by the satellite already demonstrates Sentinel-2\u2019s application for monitoring inland and coastal waters. \n<\/p>\n