ISS050-E-51403
| NASA Photo ID | ISS050-E-51403 |
| Focal Length | 1150mm |
| Date taken | 2017.02.19 |
| Time taken | 16:38:10 GMT |
4928 x 3280 pixels 720 x 480 pixels 4928 x 3280 pixels 640 x 426 pixels
Photo center point: 40.8° N, 91.1° W
Photo center point by machine learning:
Country or Geographic Name: | USA-IOWA |
Features: | MISSISSIPPI R., FLOODPLAIN, BURLINGTON |
| Features Found Using Machine Learning: | |
Cloud Cover Percentage: | 0 (no clouds present) |
Sun Elevation Angle: | 33° |
Sun Azimuth: | 151° |
Camera: | Nikon D4 Electronic Still Camera |
Focal Length: | 1150mm |
Camera Tilt: | 19 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4928 pixels | 3280 pixels | No | No | NASA's Earth Observatory web site | Download Image |
| 720 pixels | 480 pixels | Yes | No | NASA's Earth Observatory web site | Download Image |
| 4928 pixels | 3280 pixels | No | No | Download Image | |
| 640 pixels | 426 pixels | No | No | Download Image |
The city of Burlington, Iowa, is situated on high bluffs next to the Mississippi River. The city thus has a commanding view of the wooded, finger-like creeks that lead down to the river; of the low floodplain and its farm fields; and the forested islands in the middle of the river. The Mississippi narrows significantly at Burlington, making a convenient location for two bridges. (For scale, the Interstate 34 bridge is 660 meters (720 yards) long.) A dam slows flow of the Mississippi River, but includes a lock to allow barge traffic to pass.
Major floods along the Mississippi tend to spill water onto the low floodplain, such that the view from Burlington - which stands about 40 meters (130 feet) above the river - would show the islands and floodplain entirely under water. The largest flood recorded at Burlington occurred in June 2008, when the river rose to 25.73 feet, more than 3 meters (10 feet) above flood stage.
This photo is one in a series taken by an astronaut aboard the International Space Station (ISS) on a cold day in February 2017. Other images follow the Mississippi River and show towns such as Davenport, the twin towns of Clinton and Fulton, and also Hannibal and East Hannibal.
