ISS042-E-294940
| NASA Photo ID | ISS042-E-294940 |
| Focal Length | 290mm |
| Date taken | 2015.02.27 |
| Time taken | 12:49:13 GMT |
Resolutions offered for this image:
1000 x 750 pixels 540 x 405 pixels 4928 x 3280 pixels 720 x 480 pixels 4928 x 3280 pixels 640 x 426 pixels
1000 x 750 pixels 540 x 405 pixels 4928 x 3280 pixels 720 x 480 pixels 4928 x 3280 pixels 640 x 426 pixels
Spacecraft nadir point: 5.8° N, 73.1° W
Photo center point: 10.9° N, 73.6° W
Photo center point by machine learning:
Photo center point: 10.9° N, 73.6° W
Photo center point by machine learning:
Nadir to Photo Center: North
Spacecraft Altitude: 215 nautical miles (398km)
Country or Geographic Name: | COLOMBIA |
Features: | SANTA MARTA MASSIF, SMOKE, SNOW CAP |
| Features Found Using Machine Learning: | |
Cloud Cover Percentage: | 25 (11-25)% |
Sun Elevation Angle: | 25° |
Sun Azimuth: | 102° |
Camera: | Nikon D4 Electronic Still Camera |
Focal Length: | 290mm |
Camera Tilt: | 55 degrees |
Format: | 4928E: 4928 x 3280 pixel CMOS sensor, 36.0mm x 23.9mm, total pixels: 16.6 million, Nikon FX format |
Film Exposure: | |
| Additional Information | |
| Width | Height | Annotated | Cropped | Purpose | Links |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1000 pixels | 750 pixels | No | Yes | Earth From Space collection | Download Image |
| 540 pixels | 405 pixels | Yes | Yes | Earth From Space collection | Download Image |
| 4928 pixels | 3280 pixels | No | No | NASA's Earth Observatory web site | Download Image |
| 720 pixels | 480 pixels | Yes | Yes | NASA's Earth Observatory web site | Download Image |
| 4928 pixels | 3280 pixels | No | No | Download Image | |
| 640 pixels | 426 pixels | No | No | Download Image |
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Image Caption: Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, northern Colombia
This early morning image, taken by astronauts looking from the International Space Station, shows a dramatic view of the many peaks of Colombia's Santa Marta massif. The highest of these (approximately 5700 m, 18,700 feet), named for Christopher Columbus, is so high that it supports a small but permanent snow cap (image far left), even though it lies only ten degrees north of the Equator. The summits are so high that trees cannot grow--landscapes appear gray because only grass and small shrubs can survive the cold. Interestingly, glacial erosion features can be seen throughout the gray summit zone area--showing that an ice cap hundreds of times larger than the snow cap existed during the geologically recent ice ages.
Most of the image shows the lower slopes covered with the green tinge of forests. A forest fire gives off smoke in a large valley.
The Santa Marta snow cap is the only place where snow can be seen from the tropical beaches of the Caribbean coast, 45 km distant (outside the top of the image). The region is a tourist attraction because visitors experience changes in climate, landscapes, vegetation and wildlife as they ascend the mountains. The massif contains dozens of endemic species. Much of the massif is now protected as a national park, now designated as a Biosphere reserve by UNESCO in 1979. A 2013 report identifies the reserve as the most irreplaceable park in the world for threatened species.
This early morning image, taken by astronauts looking from the International Space Station, shows a dramatic view of the many peaks of Colombia's Santa Marta massif. The highest of these (approximately 5700 m, 18,700 feet), named for Christopher Columbus, is so high that it supports a small but permanent snow cap (image far left), even though it lies only ten degrees north of the Equator. The summits are so high that trees cannot grow--landscapes appear gray because only grass and small shrubs can survive the cold. Interestingly, glacial erosion features can be seen throughout the gray summit zone area--showing that an ice cap hundreds of times larger than the snow cap existed during the geologically recent ice ages.
Most of the image shows the lower slopes covered with the green tinge of forests. A forest fire gives off smoke in a large valley.
The Santa Marta snow cap is the only place where snow can be seen from the tropical beaches of the Caribbean coast, 45 km distant (outside the top of the image). The region is a tourist attraction because visitors experience changes in climate, landscapes, vegetation and wildlife as they ascend the mountains. The massif contains dozens of endemic species. Much of the massif is now protected as a national park, now designated as a Biosphere reserve by UNESCO in 1979. A 2013 report identifies the reserve as the most irreplaceable park in the world for threatened species.
