Autumn Colors Poland's Bieszczady Mountains in NASA Image of the Day

NASA has released an image of the Bieszczady Mountains, in southeastern Poland, showing the forests of Bieszczady National Park tinted by autumn coloration. The tree-covered slopes display warm tones, while the polonina — high-mountain meadows characteristic of this Carpathian region — have already turned tan. Polonina are high-altitude grassland formations occupying summits and ridges above the tree line, maintained in this area for centuries by grazing and by the mountain climate. Their transition to autumn hues contrasts with the mosaic of colors of the beech and birch forest covering the park's slopes. The photograph is part of the series of Earth observation images the U.S. space agency publishes daily, in which satellites and astronauts document natural phenomena and seasonal changes seen from orbit. In this case, the image captures the moment when Central Europe's mountain vegetation enters its winter transition phase.