Grand Canyon Snow

Astronauts on the International Space Station captured photos of the Grand Canyon on January 26, 2026, revealing a snow-covered landscape. The images show the South Rim and North Rim with a layer of white snow, creating a striking visual effect.

The snow is typical at high elevations in winter, with the South Rim receiving an average of 58 inches and the North Rim receiving an average of 142 inches. The photos also demonstrate a visual illusion called relief inversion, where the shadows on the canyon walls may be deceiving due to the Sun shining from the south.

The Grand Canyon is a vast chasm carved by the Colorado River, and the snow-covered plateaus on both sides create a unique landscape. The images were taken with a Nikon Z9 digital camera using a focal length of 400 millimeters and are available on the NASA website.