< ISS065-E-168303 >
| NASA Photo ID | ISS065-E-168303 |
| Focal Length | 35mm |
| Date taken | 2021.07.18 |
| Time taken | 09:03:50 GMT |
5568 x 3712 pixels 720 x 480 pixels 5568 x 3712 pixels 640 x 427 pixels
Photo center point: 2.0° S, 105.5° E
Photo center point by machine learning:
Country or Geographic Name: | INDONESIA-S |
Features: | BANGKA ISLAND, BELITUNG ISLAND, SOUTH CHINA SEA, SUMATRA |
| Features Found Using Machine Learning: | PAN- |
Cloud Cover Percentage: | 10 (1-10)% |
Sun Elevation Angle: | 20° |
Sun Azimuth: | 295° |
Camera: | Nikon D5 Electronic Still Camera |
Focal Length: | 35mm |
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 | Yes | No | Download Image | |
| 720 pixels | 480 pixels | Yes | No | Download Image | |
| 5568 pixels | 3712 pixels | No | No | Download Image | |
| 640 pixels | 427 pixels | No | No | Download Image |
An astronaut onboard the International Space Station shot this panoramic, west-looking photograph of cloudscapes around Sumatra, one of Indonesia's largest islands. The image also shows the smaller, neighboring Bangka and Belitung Islands, the Java Sea, and the west coast of Borneo (far right margin, above the solar panel). The long, bright clouds - generated by thunderstorms - cast dark shadows on the land and sea below. The brightest zone of the Sun's reflection on the water (sunglint) highlights the narrow strait between Sumatra and the islands. Singapore is hidden beneath a thunderstorm.
On the day this photo was taken, winds were blowing from the northeast (right to left in this view). After crossing the Java Sea, the moist air would have risen as it was heated. Such heating likely caused thunderstorms (//www.atmo.arizona.edu/students/courselinks/fall12/atmo336/lectures/sec1/formation.html) to form over each island.
The tops of some of the storms were sheared off by winds to form clouds with flattened upper surfaces; these as called anvil clouds. Winds can extend anvils across great distances, making long, narrow tails. The big anvil that starts over Bangka Island stretches about 200 kilometers (120 miles) across Sumatra into the Indian Ocean. Other anvil clouds formed where air was forced to rise over the high Barisan Mountains on Sumatra's southwest coast (far left). Small cumulus clouds also formed over the small line of Mentawai Islands (top left).
Cloud-free zones appear over the Java Sea and the Indian Ocean. Both zones lie downwind of landmasses (Borneo and Sumatra), with air apparently descending onto the sea surface on this day. Descending air usually suppresses cloud formation.
