Ottawa’s Fall Rhapsody – NASA

An astronaut aboard the International Space Station captured this view of peak fall foliage around Ottawa, Canada on Oct. 14, 2020. Sugar maple leaves turn orange-red, and hickories turn golden-bronze during autumn, regionally known as “the Fall Rhapsody.”

Fall color reaches its peak when air temperatures drop and shortened daylight triggers plants to slow and stop the production of chlorophyll—the molecule that plants use to synthesize food. When the green chlorophyll pigment fades, various yellow and red pigments become visible.

Image credit: NASA EUSO