Start Date: End Date: Published Date Data Date
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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Page, Arizona
Published March 23, 2003
This isolated community near the northern Arizona border is of special interest because of its origin and location. Unlike other towns in the area, Page was created in 1957 to house workers and their families during the construction of nearby Glen Canyon Dam on the Colorado River. Its 17-square-mile site was obtained in a land exchange with the Navajo Indian tribe. The town is perched atop Manson Mesa at an elevation of 4,300 feet above sea level and 600 feet above Lake Powell.
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Buenos Aires at Night
Published March 16, 2003
Buenos Aires is one of the larger cities seen by orbiting crews. Twelve million people, almost one third of all Argentines, live in this city, often called the “Paris of the South”.
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Southern Sierra Nevada and Owens Lake
Published March 9, 2003
Astronauts aboard the International Space Station looked obliquely down at the steep eastern flank of California’s Sierra Nevada. Even from space the topography is impressive. The range drops nearly 11,000 feet from Mt. Whitney (under cloud, arrow), the highest mountain in the lower 48 states (14,494 ft), to the floor of Owens Valley (the elevation of the town of Lone Pine is 3,760 ft). The Sierra Nevada landscape is well known for deep, glacially scoured valleys, like Kern Canyon west of Mt. Whitney.
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Australian Bushfires
Published February 9, 2003
The crew of the International Space Station took this dramatic image of the fires on the morning of January 18, 2003. Brisk winds are sweeping smoke plumes eastward off the Australian coast north of Cape Howe.
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