Earth from Space - Image Description

STS036-152-118 Northwest Alabama, U.S.A. March 1990
Apparent in this northeast-looking photograph of northwest Alabama is the generally westward-flowing Tennessee River, which separates Florence to the north and Muscle Shoals to the south. Reflective Wilson Dam is barely visible east of the bridge that connects Florence and Muscle Shoals. The surrounding reddish landscape results from iron-rich soils and oxidation. The extensive darker terrain denotes scattered, forested hills. The mouth of Bear Creek forms an estuary along the south side of the Tennessee River (bottom left).

This service is provided by the International Space Station program and the JSC Earth Science & Remote Sensing Unit, ARES Division, Exploration Integration Science Directorate.