Japanese astronaut shares breathtaking photo of Japan’s leaves turning red from space

Mars may be the one called the Red Planet, but this shot shows part of Earth turning a beautiful crimson.

Just about a month ago, we took a look at ten beautiful places to see the leaves of Japan’s trees changing color as we get deeper into autumn. Each and every one looks like the kind of place where nature lovers and photography enthusiasts could spend hours, which makes choosing which one to visit a very tough decision.

But if you want to see it all, there’s a solution, as pointed out on Twitter by Kimiya Yui. Yui’s name might sound familiar if you’re an astronomy or aerospace buff, since the 46-year-old former Japan Air Self-Defense Force officer is now an astronaut affiliated with JAXA, Japan’s counterpart to NASA.

As such, Yui has access to images taken from some pretty cool vantage points, and he recently tweeted this photo which shows just how dramatically the Japanese scenery changes during the fall.

With all of eastern Honshu (Japan’s main island) visible, we can clearly see the swaths of crimson coming down from the northern Tohoku region, where the cold sets in earlier than in other parts of the island. But even in comparatively warmer areas to the south and west, the fall colors have set in near the peaks of the regions’ highest mountains.

“There aren’t many places where you can see [a view like this],” said Yui about the photo, which was taken roughly a year ago. He’s absolutely right, so we’re glad he took the time to share it with those of us who’re spending the season firmly on the ground.

Source, featured image: Twitter/@Astro_Kimiya

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