Return to Earth From Space Home
Earth from Space logo Image Information Earth from Space logo

Display a Screen Layout for Printing

IMAGE: gray corner       IMAGE: gray corner
  Image: Geographic Location Direction Photo #: ISS053-E-357550 Date: Dec. 2017
Geographic Region: CHINA
Feature: PAN- HIMALAYAS, MT. EVEREST, LAKE PAIKU

Ordering information for space photography
 
IMAGE: gray corner     IMAGE: gray corner

Image: gray corner     Image: gray corner
  View Low-Resolution Image  
  An Astronaut's View of the Himalayas

An astronaut aboard the International Space Station shot this oblique photograph of Mount Everest, Earth's tallest mountain (when measured from sea level). Standing on the border of China and Nepal, Everest is the centerpiece of the Great Himalaya Range, the highest and northernmost section of the Himalayas. Many of the world's tallest peaks are found here, including Kanchenjunga (8,586 meters/28,169 feet) and Everest (8,850 meters/29,035 feet). Stretching 2,300 kilometers (1,400 miles) across Pakistan, India, Nepal, and China, the mountain range has an average elevation above 6,100 meters (20,000 feet).

The snow-capped peaks of the Himalayas persist year-round thanks to two main periods of precipitation. Winter snow accumulates from December through May, with greater snowfall occurring in the western part of the range. By the end of May, summer monsoon winds start to channel moist air toward the eastern Himalayas, where precipitation will occur as either rain or snow until September. The fairest weather in the region occurs from September through early December.

The peaks of the Himalayas are a dramatic expression of the massive tectonic forces that drove the crustal plates of India and Asia into each other about 40 to 50 million years ago. The Himalayas as a whole started forming 25 to 30 million years ago, while the Great Himalaya Range began building up about 2.6 million years ago. These tectonic forces are still active today, causing Everest and the surrounding mountains to rise more than 1 centimeter per year.

In addition to tectonic activity, the Himalayas have many active glaciers - the primary force behind the continuous erosion of Everest and the other peaks. As these glaciers melt, the water drains into rivers which find their way into catchments such as Lake Paiku, which collects glacial melt, snowmelt, and summer monsoon rains.

 
Image: gray corner     Image: gray corner

Images: All Available Images Low-Resolution 349k
Mission: ISS053  
Roll - Frame: E - 357550
Geographical Name: CHINA  
Features: PAN- HIMALAYAS, MT. EVEREST, LAKE PAIKU  
Center Lat x Lon: 28.3N x 87.1E
Film Exposure:   N=Normal exposure, U=Under exposed, O=Over exposed, F=out of Focus
Percentage of Cloud Cover-CLDP: 25
 
Camera: N8
 
Camera Tilt: HO   LO=Low Oblique, HO=High Oblique, NV=Near Vertical
Camera Focal Length: 500  
 
Nadir to Photo Center Direction: E   The direction from the nadir to the center point, N=North, S=South, E=East, W=West
Stereo?:   Y=Yes there is an adjacent picture of the same area, N=No there isn't
Orbit Number:  
 
Date: 20171211   YYYYMMDD
Time: 074329   GMT HHMMSS
Nadir Lat: 33.7N  
Latitude of suborbital point of spacecraft
Nadir Lon: 70.8E  
Longitude of suborbital point of spacecraft
Sun Azimuth: 189   Clockwise angle in degrees from north to the sun measured at the nadir point
Space Craft Altitude: 217   nautical miles
Sun Elevation: 33   Angle in degrees between the horizon and the sun, measured at the nadir point
Land Views:  
Water Views:  
Atmosphere Views:  
Man Made Views:  
City Views:  
Photo is not associated with any sequences


NASA
Home Page
JSC
Home Page
JSC Digital
Image Collection
Earth Science &
Remote Sensing

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