ISS017-E-13856
| NASA Photo ID | ISS017-E-13856 |
| Focal Length | 400mm |
| Date taken | 2008.08.19 |
| Time taken | 20:53:58 GMT |
Resolutions offered for this image:
540 x 357 pixels 540 x 444 pixels 540 x 357 pixels 3072 x 2098 pixels 640 x 437 pixels
540 x 357 pixels 540 x 444 pixels 540 x 357 pixels 3072 x 2098 pixels 640 x 437 pixels
Cloud masks available for this image:
Spacecraft nadir point: 4.9° S, 48.8° W
Photo center point: 2.7° S, 57.6° W
Photo center point by machine learning:
Photo center point: 2.7° S, 57.6° W
Photo center point by machine learning:
Nadir to Photo Center: West
Spacecraft Altitude: 196 nautical miles (363km)
Country or Geographic Name: | BRAZIL |
Features: | AMAZON RIVER, LAKES, R., GLINT |
| Features Found Using Machine Learning: | |
Cloud Cover Percentage: | 25 (11-25)% |
Sun Elevation Angle: | 5° |
Sun Azimuth: | 283° |
Camera: | Nikon D2Xs Electronic Still Camera |
Focal Length: | 400mm |
Camera Tilt: | High Oblique |
Format: | 4288E: 4288 x 2848 pixel CMOS sensor, RGBG imager color filter |
Film Exposure: | |
| Additional Information | |
| Width | Height | Annotated | Cropped | Purpose | Links |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 540 pixels | 357 pixels | No | Yes | Earth From Space collection | Download Image |
| 540 pixels | 444 pixels | Yes | Yes | Earth From Space collection | Download Image |
| 540 pixels | 357 pixels | Yes | Yes | NASA's Earth Observatory web site | Download Image |
| 3072 pixels | 2098 pixels | No | No | Download Image | |
| 640 pixels | 437 pixels | No | No | Download Image |
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Image Caption: Sunglint on the Amazon River, Brazil
The setting sun glints off the Amazon River and numerous lakes in its floodplain in this astronaut photograph from August 19, 2008. Large areas of sunglint are common in oblique views (shot from an angle, rather than looking straight down from the spacecraft). About 150 kilometers of the sinuous Amazon is shown here; the area is about 1,000 kilometers inland from the Atlantic Ocean. Arrows show the generally eastward direction of flow of the Amazon. One of the great river's tributaries, the Uatuma River, enters on the north side of the Amazon (top center). A small side channel, or distributary, of the Madeira River (beyond the left edge of the image) enters the view from the left. Tupinambarama Island occupies the swampy wetlands between the Amazon and Madeira rivers.
Sunglint images reveal great detail in surface water--in this case the marked difference between the smooth outline of the Amazon and the jagged shoreline of the Uatuma River. The jagged shoreline results from valley sides being eroded in relatively hard rocks. Because the Amazon flows in its own soft sediment, its huge water discharge smoothes its banks. The Uatuma River in this area has become a ria, a dammed valley. Sediment from the Amazon has created the dam. Another dammed valley is visible at bottom center of the scene.
Although no smoke plumes from forest fires are visible in the view, two kinds of evidence show that there is smoke in the atmosphere. The coppery color of the sunglint is typically produced by smoke particles and other aerosols scattering yellow and red light. Second, a small patch of cloud (image right) casts a distinct shadow in the atmosphere. The shadow is visible because smoke particles in the surrounding sunlit parts of the atmosphere are reflecting light back to the camera.
The setting sun glints off the Amazon River and numerous lakes in its floodplain in this astronaut photograph from August 19, 2008. Large areas of sunglint are common in oblique views (shot from an angle, rather than looking straight down from the spacecraft). About 150 kilometers of the sinuous Amazon is shown here; the area is about 1,000 kilometers inland from the Atlantic Ocean. Arrows show the generally eastward direction of flow of the Amazon. One of the great river's tributaries, the Uatuma River, enters on the north side of the Amazon (top center). A small side channel, or distributary, of the Madeira River (beyond the left edge of the image) enters the view from the left. Tupinambarama Island occupies the swampy wetlands between the Amazon and Madeira rivers.
Sunglint images reveal great detail in surface water--in this case the marked difference between the smooth outline of the Amazon and the jagged shoreline of the Uatuma River. The jagged shoreline results from valley sides being eroded in relatively hard rocks. Because the Amazon flows in its own soft sediment, its huge water discharge smoothes its banks. The Uatuma River in this area has become a ria, a dammed valley. Sediment from the Amazon has created the dam. Another dammed valley is visible at bottom center of the scene.
Although no smoke plumes from forest fires are visible in the view, two kinds of evidence show that there is smoke in the atmosphere. The coppery color of the sunglint is typically produced by smoke particles and other aerosols scattering yellow and red light. Second, a small patch of cloud (image right) casts a distinct shadow in the atmosphere. The shadow is visible because smoke particles in the surrounding sunlit parts of the atmosphere are reflecting light back to the camera.
