Start Date: End Date: Published Date Data Date
Beijing, China
Published June 8, 2003
This image of Beijing was taken from the Space Shuttle five years ago (in late April-early May 1998), and is one of the best photographs of the city taken from orbit.
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Kulunda Steppe, Western Siberia, Russia
Published June 1, 2003
>The dark spikes slashing across this agricultural area between the Ob River and the Irtysh River (out of the view left) form a familiar visual cue for astronauts that they are flying over Western Siberia. The signature pattern across the center is made by forests in a great plain that has been folded by tectonic forces—the surface rock layers form a long series of gentle folds aligned NE-SW. The lower zones are darker because the snow disappears through the Scotch pine trees. The higher areas are occupied by numerous angular fields of the steppe, etched by snow.
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How Does Anthropogenic Haze Influence Climate?
Published May 25, 2003
Greenhouse gases act broadly to warm the atmosphere, but human-induced aerosols (particles in the atmosphere) generate negative forcings—that is cooling of the atmosphere by reflection of the sun’s energy away from Earth. This photograph from the Space Shuttle, featured in an article in Science magazine, shows haze from China spread over the Pacific Ocean, on March 4, 1996. In the Science article, Anderson and coworkers point out that greenhouse gas forcing on climate is fairly well understood, but the effect of aerosols is not.
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First Recorded Eruption of Anatahan Volcano
Published May 18, 2003
On the night of May 10, the Anatahan Volcano announced itself with a vigorous eruption that sent high-level ash over a wide area. About 12 hours later, on May 11 at 00:19 GMT, the crew of the International Space Station observed and photographed this ash plume, describing it as huge.
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Above and Under the Red Sea
Published May 11, 2003
This unique photograph of shallow Red Sea waters off the coast of Saudi Arabia gives us a glimpse of both the coral reefs under the surface, and the texture and movements of surface waters. On the left side of the image we see through the water column to the reefs below the surface. On the right side of the image, the sun reflects off of microscopic oily films formed by a combination of natural biological sources and human activities on the sea surface. The films are concentrated by surface water movements and variably dampen surface capillary waves, which effect how the sun’s light is reflected. This creates patterns of brighter and darker reflections when viewed from orbit. These patterns trace the complex surface water dynamics along the coast.
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Sao Paulo, Brazil, at Night
Published May 4, 2003
A favorite activity of astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the International Space Station is looking at the city lights below when the Station crosses the Earth’s dark side. The lights outline the densest population centers and coastlines, and suggest cultural patterns. Taking these low-light images using the equipment on board the Station has been challenging to the crew members because of the long exposure times required. Astronaut Don Pettit has pioneered an approach using a home-made tracking system to track the ground as it moves relative to the Station, allowing him to acquire long-exposure images under low light conditions. This image shows the sprawling urban footprint of São Paulo, Brazil, South America’s largest city with roughly 17 million people. The different colors (pink, white, and gray) define different types and generations of street lights.
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Smog in the Northern Adriatic Sea
Published April 27, 2003
The boot of Italy crosses the image in this southwest-looking view taken by the crew of the International Space Station.
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A Danish Perspective
Published April 20, 2003
Taking advantage of remarkably fair weather over north central Europe for this time of year, an astronaut captured this panoramic view of Denmark.
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New York City and East Coast City Lights
Published April 13, 2003
Bright city lights along the coastline and interior delineate the eastern coast of the United States at night.
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Los Angeles at Night
Published April 6, 2003
After sunset the borders of "The City of Angels" are defined as much by its dark terrain features as by its well-lit grid of streets and freeways.
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Viewing Earth’s Limb
Published April 2, 2003
Some of the most breathtaking views of Earth taken from space are those that capture our planet’s limb.
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Lake Michigan Ice
Published March 30, 2003
In 2003 a colder than normal North American winter saw the entire surface areas of Lakes Superior, Huron, and Erie frozen over for the first time in years. Although the open surface waters of Lake Michigan did not freeze this season, the southern portion experienced a higher than normal amount of ice. Winds and currents drove broken pieces of ice from the north to the south. This image taken from the International Space Station shows a number of large pieces of ice collected along and just off the shoreline southwest of Benton Harbor, Michigan. Smaller pieces trail northward offshore from Chicago, Illinois. Note the ice accumulation along the entire eastern shoreline of Lake Michigan as well as the wind-drive lake-effect snow cover over the western half of the lower Michigan Peninsula.
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