STS060-97-38
| NASA Photo ID | STS060-97-38 |
| Focal Length | 250mm |
| Date taken | 1994.02.06 |
| Time taken | 12:29:03 GMT |
Resolutions offered for this image:
5294 x 5294 pixels 640 x 640 pixels 5700 x 5900 pixels 500 x 518 pixels 640 x 480 pixels
5294 x 5294 pixels 640 x 640 pixels 5700 x 5900 pixels 500 x 518 pixels 640 x 480 pixels
Cloud masks available for this image:
Spacecraft nadir point: 19.0° N, 46.1° E
Photo center point: 20.0° N, 45.0° E
Photo center point by machine learning:
Photo center point: 20.0° N, 45.0° E
Photo center point by machine learning:
Nadir to Photo Center: Northwest
Spacecraft Altitude: 191 nautical miles (354km)
Country or Geographic Name: | SAUDI ARABIA |
Features: | TUWAYQ PIVOT IRRIGATION |
| Features Found Using Machine Learning: | |
Cloud Cover Percentage: | 0 (no clouds present) |
Sun Elevation Angle: | 30° |
Sun Azimuth: | 238° |
Camera: | Hasselblad |
Focal Length: | 250mm |
Camera Tilt: | 25 degrees |
Format: | 2443: Kodak Aerochrome 2443, color IR, thin base, EA-5 process thru June 1999, E-6 process afterward |
Film Exposure: | Normal |
| Additional Information | |
| Width | Height | Annotated | Cropped | Purpose | Links |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5294 pixels | 5294 pixels | No | No | Earth From Space collection | Download Image |
| 640 pixels | 640 pixels | No | No | Earth From Space collection | Download Image |
| 5700 pixels | 5900 pixels | No | No | Download Image | |
| 500 pixels | 518 pixels | No | No | Download Image | |
| 640 pixels | 480 pixels | No | No | Download Image |
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Image Caption: STS060-097-038 Pivot Irrigation, Saudi Arabia February 1994
Modern drilling, pumping, and distribution systems have permitted many arid and semiarid regions of the world to become productive farmlands. This infrared photograph of the southwestern end of the Tuwayq Mountains shows one of four areas in Saudi Arabia where center-pivot irrigation has produced a dramatic circle of vegetation in an otherwise barren desert. Specific field sizes vary; however, many circular plots in this photograph measure approximately 0.6 mile (1 kilometer) in diameter. Water (known as fossil water) is extracted from subsurface aquifers of previous, wetter geological periods. Dark circles represent fields where crops are presently grown; faint circles outline field patterns where no crops are being grown. Some fields have been taken out of production to lie fallow, some have been harvested or planted with a new crop, and some have been taken out of production indefinitely. Although many desert regions of the world are now successfully farmed, a finite supply of fossil water exists, and eventually the supply of water will be exhausted.
Modern drilling, pumping, and distribution systems have permitted many arid and semiarid regions of the world to become productive farmlands. This infrared photograph of the southwestern end of the Tuwayq Mountains shows one of four areas in Saudi Arabia where center-pivot irrigation has produced a dramatic circle of vegetation in an otherwise barren desert. Specific field sizes vary; however, many circular plots in this photograph measure approximately 0.6 mile (1 kilometer) in diameter. Water (known as fossil water) is extracted from subsurface aquifers of previous, wetter geological periods. Dark circles represent fields where crops are presently grown; faint circles outline field patterns where no crops are being grown. Some fields have been taken out of production to lie fallow, some have been harvested or planted with a new crop, and some have been taken out of production indefinitely. Although many desert regions of the world are now successfully farmed, a finite supply of fossil water exists, and eventually the supply of water will be exhausted.
