The pond in this photo was caught on camera by NASA's ER-2 aircraft this past July 16

Aug 5, 2014 19:51 GMT  ·  By

If you're on the market for an all-time favorite color, I dare say that your Internet browsing skills have brought you to the best possible place. Provided that you don't hate the color blue on principle, that is.

The stunning photo above was taken by NASA's ER-2 aircraft this past July 16 and shared with the public just a few days ago, on August 2.

The image shows a melt pond in the Arctic as seen from above, and I for one have to admit that I am utterly and completely fascinated with just how blue the water in this pond is.

According to NASA researchers, bodies of water like this one are a common sight in this part of the world during the summer months. They form as the Arctic ice starts to melt due to the increase in local temperatures.

“From above, Arctic ice looks quite different in summer than it does in winter. A sheen of white covers most surfaces in winter due to snowfall and frigid weather,” NASA writes on its website.

“As temperatures rise in the summer, turquoise splotches of color begin to speckle the ice surfaces. The splashes of blue are melt ponds, areas where snow has melted and pooled in low spots on glaciers and sea ice,” it adds.

The melt pond featured in this photo formed atop a glacier in southeast Alaska. The white fragments that cover part of its surface are bits and pieces of Arctic ice.