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  Image: Geographic Location Direction Photo #: ISS055-E-31251 Date: Apr. 2018
Geographic Region: USA-UTAH
Feature: GREEN RIVER

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  Green River Meanders

An astronaut aboard the International Space Station shot this photograph of the Green River flowing through red rock canyons in eastern Utah. A main tributary of the Colorado River, the Green flows 730 miles (1175 kilometers) through Wyoming, Colorado, and Utah. The portion of the Green River in this image is just north of Canyonlands National Park.

Bowknot Bend was named by John Wesley Powell in 1869 during his first expedition through the region because of the way the river loops back on itself. Located in Labyrinth Canyon about 25 miles west of Moab, Utah, this river bend runs 7.5 miles (12 kilometers) in a circular loop and ends up 1,200 feet (360 meters) from where it first started, on the opposite side of a narrow saddle. When the two sides of the river cut through the saddle and merge someday, Bowknot Bend will break off from the main channel and form an oxbow lake.

High contrast from the dark shadows along the river give some three-dimensional perspective to the 1,000 foot (300 meter) canyons that have deepened over geologic time from erosion. Similar to the formation of the Grand Canyon, Labyrinth Canyon started to form when regional uplift of the Colorado Plateau caused the Green River to cut down through the rocks to its current depth. Some inactive uranium mines, such as the Aileen Mine, are located along the canyon walls. Uranium ore deposits are concentrated in much older fluvial sandstones.

Bowknot Bend is a popular destination for hiking, canyoneering, and river rafting. Visitors can explore the multitude of caves and alcoves located within Labyrinth Canyon. They also hike to various lookouts, particularly the saddle of Bowknot Bend. Several sections of the Green River can be rafted, kayaked, or canoed until it meets with the Colorado River (south of this image).

 
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Images: All Available Images Low-Resolution 86k
Mission: ISS055  
Roll - Frame: E - 31251
Geographical Name: USA-UTAH  
Features: GREEN RIVER  
Center Lat x Lon: 38.6N x 110W
Film Exposure:   N=Normal exposure, U=Under exposed, O=Over exposed, F=out of Focus
Percentage of Cloud Cover-CLDP: 10
 
Camera: N8
 
Camera Tilt: 14   LO=Low Oblique, HO=High Oblique, NV=Near Vertical
Camera Focal Length: 1600  
 
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: 20180422   YYYYMMDD
Time: 154014   GMT HHMMSS
Nadir Lat: 38.8N  
Latitude of suborbital point of spacecraft
Nadir Lon: 110.9W  
Longitude of suborbital point of spacecraft
Sun Azimuth: 103   Clockwise angle in degrees from north to the sun measured at the nadir point
Space Craft Altitude: 215   nautical miles
Sun Elevation: 34   Angle in degrees between the horizon and the sun, measured at the nadir point
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Photo is not associated with any sequences


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