Earth from Space - Image Description

STS066-127-032 Long Island, New York November 1994
The fourth largest island of the United States and the largest outside of Alaska and Hawaii, Long Island can be seen in this northeast-looking view. Long Island is 118 miles (190 km) long, 12 to 20 miles (19 to 32 km) wide, and covers an area of 1723 sq. miles (4463 sq. km). Most of northern Long Island is made up of glacial deposits forming small hills and cliffs and indented bays. The southern portions of Long Island are low-lying out-wash plains of glacial deposits consisting of long sandy beaches, backed by dunes and shallow lagoons. Sand and gravel are quarried from the island's glacial deposits. Commercial fishing and recreation are also important commodities of the island. Long Island Sound, a former river valley, separates Long Island from the southern coast of the state of Connecticut. The New York/Newark Metropolitan areas are discernible extending north to south along the left (western) edge of 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.