Is this distant desert in fact the largest mirror in the world?

Even if you don’t know Salaar de uyuni by name, there is a good opportunity because you saw a picture of her. Tourists flow to this huge flat salt in Bolivia to take pictures of their mirror -like surface, and only when covered with a thin layer of water.

Salaar de uyuni is the largest salt desert in the world, and people return for years, as it is also the largest natural mirror in the world. I mean, check this yourself – you will see what I mean in the video below.

The wet surface is an incredible reflection. However, no person has ever proven that it is the largest natural mirror in the world – even recently.

Is Salar de Uni really a giant mirror?

In a new study published on September 19 in the magazine Nature Communications Earth and the EnvironmentThe researchers used data from Sentinel-3 satellites at the European Space Agency to search for experimental evidence on the Salar De Uyuni mirror, or its reflection. They used satellite data because the vast interior of the salt apartment is often accessible during the wet season, which makes it difficult to study this phenomenon.

Each of these dual satellites that pull the Earth is equipped with radar-grocery-pulsing radar standards to the ground and measuring the period that the signal takes to bounce. The stronger the return signal, the most smooth surface – and the most reflection – below.

The researchers, led by Stefano Venegodili, of the National Research Council at the Italian Institute of Biochemistry, analyzed more than 390,000 radar measurements that were conducted between 2016 and 2024. In February 2024 – the wet season – field tests were conducted to check their notes via satellites, using a visual tool to measure the water surface taste. The drone also provided a visual confirmation of smoothness by taking pictures of the sun’s reflection of the water.

Judgment? It is complicated

The results of the researchers show that although it appears to the naked eye, Salaar De Uyuni is not a uniform mirror in the lengths of the radar waves. Therefore, it may not be a uniform mirror of visual wavelengths as well. Instead, the reflection of the surface of the water develops in spatial and spatial.

The most similar conditions occur in the mirror after the large rains and before water has the opportunity to evaporate, according to researchers. The relationship between heavy rains and the impact of the mirror indicates that it is a direct result of regional climate patterns, which prompted the authors to conclude that the best time to see the mirror is from late January to early March.

Since this phenomenon only arises under specific circumstances and does not affect the entire salaar de uyuni at one time, it is difficult to determine whether in reality the largest natural mirror in the world at any time. This does not mean that it is not exceptionally great.

One of the most interesting results from this study is that the wind does not disturb the effect of the mirror, perhaps because the water is so shallow that it cannot form ripples. The researchers hope that future studies will discuss this and provide more ideas on unique characteristics that lead to this natural wonder.