In a recently released photo, astronauts at the International Space Station captured a striking view of Morocco’s Erg Chebbi dunes on December 21, 2023, revealing a stunning expanse of the Sahara Desert near Merzouga in south east Morocco.
Astronauts photographed Erg Chebbi’s intricate dune formations shaped by persistent winds in the southeastern region near Morocco’s border with Algeria. The image not only highlights the region’s natural beauty, but also depicts life and livelihood supported in the desert, where communities depend on both agriculture and tourism.
Erg Chebbi’s dunes form and reform through fine yellow sand being deposited by the wind, creating slip faces where sand slides downward as the wind builds height on the opposite side. Star dunes, often rising as sharp, branching ridges, dominate the landscape, an iconic feature of the Sahara’s terrain.
In the photo’s bottom right, the town of Merzouga and nearby communities appear, sustained by a natural aquifer that supports palm groves and crops. These fields of green are visible as long lines in the image, the only agriculture in this arid area.
The region’s proximity to Erg Chebbi attracts tourists, generating income through guided dune tours and tent camps for overnight stays. Off-road vehicle trails trace through the desert, while clusters of tents, used by visitors as well some indigenous nomadic Amazigh people, dot the landscape.
The photo was taken with a Nikon D5 camera at 1,200mm focal length and processed by NASA’s ISS Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit. It highlights the Sahara’s complex environment and human resilience in Morocco’s southeastern desert, combining natural wonder with a livelihood sustained by the land’s unique resources.