Rainbow-colored phantom lakes emerge around Namibia's 'Great White Place' — Earth from space
By Harry Baker
Published on March 17, 2026.
A satellite photo taken from the International Space Station (ISS) shows five colorful ephemeral lakes that appeared around the edge of Namibia's Etosha Pan after a major flooding event in 2011. The incident occurred in the northwest corner of the Africa's largest salt flat, or mineral pan, which covers around 1,800 square miles. The lakes, which include yellow, green, brown, red and pink, were likely caused by different species of algae that bloomed within their shallow waters. Despite the extreme dryness and salinity surrounding the area, the area surrounding the ancient lake is protected by nature and home to animals such as zebras, hyenas, impalas, rhinos, springboks, wildebeests and wilde
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