ISS014-E-12652 Click the photo number to access all resolutions available and the database record.
This astronaut photograph was taken while the International Space Station (ISS) was located approximately 306 kilometers (about 190 miles) to the southeast over Mount Vernon, Maine. The astronaut was looking northwest to capture the morning sunlight on a snow-dusted Montréal. Individual skyscrapers of the downtown area are clearly visible, highlighted by the long shadows they cast in the light of the rising sun. The high-rise profile of the downtown area contrasts sharply with a distinctive grid pattern of residential, commercial, and institutional city blocks to the north, south, and west, which are outlined by the snow cover. The combination of oblique viewing angle and sun position also allow for the capture of sunglint—light reflected directly back to the camera on the ISS—on the St. Lawrence River at image right. The glint reveals ice on the river; several large chunks are visible to the north of the Victoria Bridge (image lower right). The image is detailed enough to capture individual support pylons on the bridge.
