ISS047-E-57176
| NASA Photo ID | ISS047-E-57176 |
| Focal Length | 400mm |
| Date taken | 2016.04.13 |
| Time taken | 11:27:44 GMT |
720 x 1082 pixels 720 x 1082 pixels 720 x 1082 pixels 3280 x 4928 pixels 426 x 640 pixels
Photo center point: 24.4° N, 43.1° E
Photo center point by machine learning:
Country or Geographic Name: | SAUDI ARABIA |
Features: | PAN- AL QASSIM, EARTH LIMB, ARABIAN PENINSULA, ARCUS CLOUDS, CUMULONIMBUS |
| Features Found Using Machine Learning: | |
Cloud Cover Percentage: | 75 (51-75)% |
Sun Elevation Angle: | 47° |
Sun Azimuth: | 238° |
Camera: | Nikon D4 Electronic Still Camera |
Focal Length: | 400mm |
Camera Tilt: | High Oblique |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 720 pixels | 1082 pixels | Yes | No | NASA's Earth Observatory web site | Download Image |
| 720 pixels | 1082 pixels | No | No | NASA's Earth Observatory web site | Download Image |
| 720 pixels | 1082 pixels | Yes | No | NASA's Earth Observatory web site | Download Image |
| 3280 pixels | 4928 pixels | No | No | Download Image | |
| 426 pixels | 640 pixels | No | No | Download Image |
A line of thunderclouds was marching past the Al Qassim region of central Saudi Arabia when an astronaut on the International Space Station shot this oblique photograph. These storm clouds made their way south and were likely related to heavy rainfall and deadly flooding in Yemen on April 13-14, 2016.
Thick dust obscures part of the Arabian Desert from our view - a frequent impediment to clear photos of the region. Some of the dark features are rock outcrops, which can rise up to 300 meters (1000 feet) above the surrounding desert floor. The gradual fade from blue to black above the clouds marks the transition from the Earth's atmosphere to space.
Dark, vegetated patches that stand out from the orange desert sand are pivot irrigation agricultural fields on the high eastern plateau of the Ad Dahna Desert. Saudi Arabian farmers produce grains, fruits, and vegetables in the middle of the desert. Agriculture has been sustained here in recent decades through water pumping from underground aquifers. This water is considered a non-renewable resource because the region's scant rainfall is not sufficient to recharge the aquifers to meet the demand. No permanently flowing rivers exist in Saudi Arabia.
