A Copernicus Sentinel-3 image captured on 30 September 2026 shows part of West Antarctica as winter was coming to an end in the southern hemisphere, according to ESA. At that time of year, sea ice reaches its annual maximum extent, stretching as far as the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula, which appears in the central part of the image along with some cloud cover.

The scene covers an area of about 1200 km by 1700 km on the periphery of the Antarctic continent, whose main landmass is about 4500 km across. Elephant Island, roughly 50 km in length, is clearly visible against ice-free ocean on the left-hand side of the image; it lies about 930 km from the tip of Argentina's Tierra del Fuego, which is not pictured.

According to the National Snow and Ice Data Center, Antarctic sea ice for the winter season most likely peaked on 14 September 2026. The image shows sea ice engulfing the tip of the peninsula and part of the Weddell Sea to its east, with varied textures including tightly packed ice and large floes comparable in size to Elephant Island. The image contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data (2026), processed by ESA.