DuringVladivostok'svoyage to rescueMikhail Somovinfrared imagery from the NOAA satellite and radar imagery from the Kosmos‐1500 satellite were being received on board. This information was being supplemented by ice observations made visually from on board ship and during helicopter ice reconnaissance flights. Hence the signatures of various types of sea ice and features as displayed on the two types of imagery could be compared with the same phenomena as recorded visually, and with each other. Signatures of ice shelves, outlet glaciers, and large icebergs are also discussed and analyzed. The limitations of the two types of imagery as revealed during the polar night also are assessed.