ISS059-E-59135
| NASA Photo ID | ISS059-E-59135 |
| Focal Length | 50mm |
| Date taken | 2019.05.07 |
| Time taken | 11:43:41 GMT |
5568 x 3712 pixels 720 x 480 pixels 5568 x 3712 pixels 640 x 427 pixels
Photo center point: 44.5° N, 63.5° W
Photo center point by machine learning:
Country or Geographic Name: | CANADA-NS |
Features: | PAN- SUN GLINT, PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND, BAY OF FUNDY |
| Features Found Using Machine Learning: | |
Cloud Cover Percentage: | 10 (1-10)% |
Sun Elevation Angle: | 22° |
Sun Azimuth: | 88° |
Camera: | Nikon D5 Electronic Still Camera |
Focal Length: | 50mm |
Camera Tilt: | High Oblique |
Format: | 5568E: 5568 x 3712 pixel CMOS sensor, 35.9 x 23.9 mm, total pixels: 21.33 million, Nikon FX format |
Film Exposure: | |
| Additional Information | |
| Width | Height | Annotated | Cropped | Purpose | Links |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5568 pixels | 3712 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 |
| 5568 pixels | 3712 pixels | No | No | Download Image | |
| 640 pixels | 427 pixels | No | No | Download Image |
Using short camera lenses to obtain wide fields of view, an astronaut on the International Space Station (ISS) focused on the intricate coastline of Nova Scotia in eastern Canada. These two images of this peninsula, taken from different directions, give a sense of the astronaut flight experience. From an orbital perspective, the same feature on Earth's surface can look very different in just a minute or two.
The first photograph shows Nova Scotia to the east of the space station, contrasted against the brilliance of the Sun reflecting off of the Atlantic Ocean. "Sunglint" images like this can highlight fine coastline details: Nova Scotia's shoreline, northern arms of the Bay of Fundy, and the outline of Prince Edward Island.
Taken 2 minutes and 18 seconds later, the second view is not only reversed - north to the right instead of the left and the Atlantic in the foreground - but the Sun is behind the camera and there is more color contrast. Land surfaces are brighter than the sea surface, which appears in a generally uniform color. The rounded southern end of Nova Scotia is prominent, having been almost lost to view in the first image. Coastline detail is much reduced. The warm tone of sediment at the head of the Bay of Fundy has become visible, and a hint of snow is visible at the northern end of the peninsula.
The two images also appear at slightly different scales due to the astronaut changing the focal lengths of the lens. The glint image is taken with a longer lens (50 mm), making the Nova Scotia peninsula seem bigger and closer than it does in the later image (35 mm). This is despite the fact that the first image was taken from 600 kilometers distance and the second from about 350 kilometers away (relative to the orbital position of the ISS).
With the different play of light, a ghostly reflection of what may be an ISS solar array is visible at lower right in the second image.
- NASA Earth Observatory (2015, July 6) Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island.
