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  Image: Geographic Location Direction Photo #: ISS062-E-117852 Date: Mar. 2020
Geographic Region: CUBA
Feature: THE BAHAMAS, TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS, FLORIDA

Ordering information for space photography
 
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Clouds trace out the islands of the Caribbean Sea in this photo taken by an astronaut from inside the Cupola on the International Space Station. Beyond the solar arrays and the docked Progress resupply vehicle, the multi-toned waters of the Caribbean and the Atlantic Ocean frame the Bahamas, Cuba, Jamaica, and southern Florida.

The bright turquoise water around the Bahamas contrasts sharply with the darker blues of the open ocean. From above, the contrast allows us to see the Tongue of the Ocean, a submarine canyon descending nearly 4300 meters (14,000 feet) below the surrounding shallow bank. The variable water colors can be explained by the underwater topography and water depth (bathymetry) and how it leads to varying light absorption and reflection. In the clear and shallow waters of the Caribbean, more sunlight reflects off the sand and reef surfaces, causing the water to appear lighter in color. The shallow water that surrounds the Bahamas and outlines the Tongue of the Ocean comprise the Great and Little Bahama Banks.

This photo was captured on a peaceful, if somewhat cloudy, spring day. But in the summertime, this region is known colloquially as "hurricane alley". Tropical cyclones that form off the coast of Africa and mature in warm Atlantic waters frequently first encounter land at these islands. Unfortunately for residents, the number of named storms in the Atlantic has been increasing in recent years.


 
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Images: All Available Images Low-Resolution 322k
Mission: ISS062  
Roll - Frame: E - 117852
Geographical Name: CUBA  
Features: THE BAHAMAS, TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS, FLORIDA  
Center Lat x Lon: 22.0N x 76.5W
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: 36   LO=Low Oblique, HO=High Oblique, NV=Near Vertical
Camera Focal Length: 16  
 
Nadir to Photo Center Direction: N   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: 20200330   YYYYMMDD
Time: 184055   GMT HHMMSS
Nadir Lat: 19.3N  
Latitude of suborbital point of spacecraft
Nadir Lon: 76.4W  
Longitude of suborbital point of spacecraft
Sun Azimuth: 239   Clockwise angle in degrees from north to the sun measured at the nadir point
Space Craft Altitude: 224   nautical miles
Sun Elevation: 63   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


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