Astronaut photo reveals striking ‘twin’ volcanoes mirroring each other in Indonesia

The crews of the International Space Station have a privileged view of Earth below from the platform’s altitude of roughly 250 miles above. They have captured numerous striking photographs over the years which are available to the public to view.

One truly amazing photograph was taken by a crew member on Expedition 65 on May 10, 2021. While passing over the Indonesian island of Java, an image was captured of Mount Sundoro and Mount Sumbing, often referred to as the ‘twins’ due to their symmetry which, especially from space, makes them look like mirror images of each other.

Twins from space, husband and wife on the ground

The two volcanos in the astronaut’s photograph are both active stratovolcanoes with cone-shaped peaks and are part of a larger east west chain of volcanos. Sumbing last erupted in 1730 and Sundoro in 1971. Both rise above 10,000 feet, but Sumbing is slightly taller with an elevation of 11,056 feet compared to Sundoro’s 10,331 feet.

Because of this height difference, the locals refer to the two volcanos as ‘husband and wife’, with Sundoro the wife and Sumbing the husband because it is considered more manly.

It’s easy to understand why they are called twins though, thanks to their near perfect symmetry in shape along with the surrounding geographical and visual features. The two volcanos are separated by just 7.5 miles with a ridge running between them. You will notice in the picture that each one has a smaller cone nearby, Sundoro’s is above it to the left and Sumbing’s is above it to the right, adding to the mirroring effect.

Additionally, the upper reaches of the peaks are above the tree line so the rocky ash is visible, which is surrounded by dark forests at higher elevations which then gives way to brighter zones encircling the bases, which are farmland.

The volcanic soil is very fertile and the tropical climate on Java provides an abundance of rain. NASA notes that the main crop is rice, which is grown in irrigated fields, as well as coffee, corn, and sugarcane.

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