ISS052-E-20826

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NASA Photo ID

ISS052-E-20826

Focal Length

1150mm

Date taken

2017.07.26

Time taken

07:40:35 GMT

Resolutions offered for this image:
4928 x 3280 pixels 720 x 480 pixels 3280 x 4928 pixels 426 x 640 pixels

Cloud masks available for this image:
Binary Heatmap

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Image Details
Camera Information
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Spacecraft nadir point: 19.6° S, 127.6° E

Photo center point: 21.4° S, 128.6° E

Photo center point by machine learning:

Nadir to Photo Center: Southeast

Spacecraft Altitude: 220 nautical miles (407km)

Country or Geographic Name:

AUSTRALIA-WA

Features:

L. HAZLETT, L. WILLIS, GIBSON DESERT, GREAT SANDY DESERT

Features Found Using Machine Learning:

Cloud Cover Percentage:

0 (no clouds present)

Sun Elevation Angle:

19°

Sun Azimuth:

299°

Camera:

Nikon D4 Electronic Still Camera

Focal Length:

1150mm

Camera Tilt:

29 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
3280 pixels	4928 pixels	No	No		Download Image
426 pixels	640 pixels	No	No		Download Image

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Image Caption: Lake Hazlett and Lake Willis

An astronaut aboard the International Space Station shot this photograph of Lake Willis and Lake Hazlett while flying over the Great Sandy Desert in Western Australia.

Hundreds of ephemeral salt lakes are peppered throughout the arid Australian Outback. When occasional flood waters pour into the lakebeds and then evaporate, they leave salt mineral deposits and create bright, expansive layers (evaporite deposits) that are readily visible from space. The reddish-brown linear sand dunes are slightly higher in elevation (1.5 to 3 meters, 5 to 10 feet) and align with the general east to west wind flow in the region.

Approximately 32 kilometers (20 miles) south of the lakes lies the fourth largest salt lake in Australia: Lake Mackay. The Pintubi tribe and other Australian Aborigine survived around these lakes for thousands of years in what is now called the Kiwirrkurra Community.