Earth from Space - Image Description

STS062-105-184 Chesapeake Bay, Rappahannock and James Rivers, Virginia March 1994
Three rivers empty into Chesapeake Bay in this east-southeast-looking view. Chesapeake Bay, a 200 mile (320 km) long drowned river mouth is visible at upper left and center. The southern end of the Delmarva Peninsula is discernible through scattered clouds. The forested Dismal Swamp appears as a dark area on the upper right side of the image. The Rappanhannock (left-center) is a 212 mile (340 km) long river that originates in the Blue Ridge Mountains of northern Virginia. The Rappanhannock is navigable to Fredricksburg, Virginia. To the south of the Rappanhannock is the smaller York River, which is nearly 40 miles (64 km) long. The sediment laden 340 mile (547 km) long James River flows into the southern portion of Chesapeake Bay. Formed in west central Virginia, the James River flows from the scenic gorges in the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Piedmont to the Chesapeake Bay. The James River is navigable for large ships to near the city of Petersburg, Virginia, a distance of 100 miles ( 160 km ). The tail of the Space Shuttle is also visible in the image.

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