Eye Candy: The Sete Cidades Massif
Digital Reporter
Friday, March 13, 2015, 5:12 PM - This isn't a painting: It's a real satellite image of an extinct volcanic crater, and it looks amazing from space.
A stunning new image released by the European Space Agency (ESA) features an incredible volcanic complex called the Sete Cidades Massif.
Taken above São Miguel's Azores, the 5 km-wide complex contains two large lakes and several volcanic cones and flooded craters.
The image was taken by the Spanish Deimos-2 satellite on 6 December 2014 -- but the ESA only made it public Friday.
"In the surrounding area we can see the distinct lines where vegetation grows along waterways radiating from the circular massif. Between these lines are agricultural plots," the ESA writes.
The area isn't just stunning to look at: there's also quite a bit of folklore surrounding it.
Legend suggests the daughter of a king escaped to the surrounding hills, where she fell in love with a young shepherd.
When the shepherd asked the king for permission to marry his daughter, he refused and forbade the two from seeing each other.
The pair met in secret on last time and cried until their tears filled the two large lakes, leaving one as green as the princess's eyes and one as blue as the shepherd's.
