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Satellite images show new island forming off Outer Banks

Over the course of seven months, a NASA satellite watched as sediment accumulated off the coast of Cape Point at Cape Hatteras National Seashore. A new island emerged from the water and quickly captivated attention.

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HATTERAS, N.C. — Over the course of seven months, a NASA satellite watched as sediment accumulated off the coast of Cape Point at Cape Hatteras National Seashore. A new island emerged from the water and quickly captivated attention.

The first image, captured in November 2016, shows the curve of Cape Point.

By January, waves can be seen breaking over something off the cape's tip. In an image captured in July, the newly named Shelly Island measures about a mile long and it clear visible and clearly distinct from Cape Point.

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