Satellite Photographs Black Hole on Earth

Brussels: a Korean satellite took an eye-catching sight of an island in Mexico known for a deep hole and the rocks and water so dark they have earned it the name of Holbox, a name that means "black hole".

The photo was taken by Korea's multipurpose satellite 2 or KOMPSAT-2, and shows the island of Holbox and its lagoon Yalahau the northeast corner of the Yucatan Peninsula.

Holbox Island is a strip of 26-mile-long (42-kilometers) of land separated from the mainland by the lagoon.

"The freshwater lagoon has a deep hole around the rocky island, which makes the water appear black," officials with the European Space Agency, which is a partner in the mission KOMPSAT-2, explained in a statement. "We think Holbox, which translates into Maya as a" black hole "was named after the black water of the lagoon."

Holbox Island is located at a point of meeting all kinds of ocean where the Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean converge. The mixture of these waters creates a nutrient-rich environment that supports a profusion of marine life, ESA officials said.

In Cabo Catoche, a cape at the eastern end of the island, mixing Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico creates a kaleidoscope of turquoise and emerald liquid.

Due to its host of marine life, the island of Holbox and its surrounding waters are protected under the Biosphere Reserve of Yum Balam. beaches on the island of white coral sand as a vital refuge for nesting turtles and over 500 species of birds, while the dolphins, manta rays and several species of sharks swimming off.

The region is also the world's largest known collection of whale sharks - the biggest fish in the world - for five months of the year, ESA officials said.