The picture was taken on February 19 by NASA's Aqua satellite

Feb 22, 2014 21:01 GMT  ·  By

This past February 19, NASA's Aqua satellite snapped a picture of the Great Lakes, and the agency was courteous enough to share the photo with the public.

The picture, available above, shows the Great Lakes' ice cover as seen from space.

According to Live Science, at the time when the North America's famous freshwater lakes more-or-less willingly sat for the photo shoot, an impressive 80.3% of their surface was covered in ice.

However, earlier this month, their ice cover reached 88%. Researchers say that this was its greatest extent since 1994.

They further detail that, typically, the Great Lake's average ice cover during this time of the year is one of 50%.

Specialists explain that the lakes froze to this extent chiefly because of very low temperatures in the regions. Still, clouds, snow, and wind are believed to have also had a say in the matter.