Return to Earth From Space Home
Earth from Space logo Image Information Earth from Space logo

Display a Screen Layout for Printing

IMAGE: gray corner       IMAGE: gray corner
  Image: Geographic Location Direction Photo #: ISS036-E-25802 Date: Jul. 2013
Geographic Region: SAUDI ARABIA
Feature: JEDDAH AT NIGHT, MECCA AT NIGHT, ABHA AT NIGHT, KHAMIS MUSHAIT AT NIGHT

Ordering information for space photography
 
IMAGE: gray corner     IMAGE: gray corner

Image: gray corner     Image: gray corner
  View Low-Resolution Image  
  Southwestern Saudi Arabia at Night

This striking image of the southwestern Saudi Arabia coastline was taken by astronauts on board the International Space Station. In addition to city lights, patchy cloud cover partially obscures and blurs city lights, especially in the vicinity of Khamis Mushait and Abha.

While much of the country is lightly populated desert - and relatively dark at night due to lack of city and roadway lights - the southwestern coastal region has more moderate climate and several large cities. Three brightly lit urban centers are visible at image top left; Jeddah, Mecca, and Taif. Jeddah is the gateway city for Islamic pilgrims going to nearby Mecca (a religious journey known as the hajj). Taif to the east is located on the slopes of the Sarawat Mountains, and provides a summer retreat for the Saudi government from the desert heat of the capital city of Riyadh.

Bright yellow-orange lighting marks highways that parallel the trend of the Asir Mountains at image center, connecting Mecca to the resort cities of Al Bahah and Abha (image lower right). Smaller roadways, lit with blue lights, extend to the west to small cities along the Red Sea coastline. The bright yellow-orange glow of the city of Abha is matched by that of the city of Khamis Mushait (or Khamis Mushayt) to the northeast. The brightly lit ribbon of highway continues onward towards other large cities to the south (Jazan, not shown) and southeast (Najran, not shown).
 
Image: gray corner     Image: gray corner

Images: All Available Images Low-Resolution 199k
Mission: ISS036  
Roll - Frame: E - 25802
Geographical Name: SAUDI ARABIA  
Features: JEDDAH AT NIGHT, MECCA AT NIGHT, ABHA AT NIGHT, KHAMIS MUSHAIT AT NIGHT  
Center Lat x Lon: 19.0N x 42.5E
Film Exposure:   N=Normal exposure, U=Under exposed, O=Over exposed, F=out of Focus
Percentage of Cloud Cover-CLDP: 25
 
Camera: N5
 
Camera Tilt: 42   LO=Low Oblique, HO=High Oblique, NV=Near Vertical
Camera Focal Length: 50  
 
Nadir to Photo Center Direction: NW   The direction from the nadir to the center point, N=North, S=South, E=East, W=West
Stereo?:   Y=Yes there is an adjacent picture of the same area, N=No there isn't
Orbit Number:  
 
Date: 20130726   YYYYMMDD
Time: 194353   GMT HHMMSS
Nadir Lat: 16.9N  
Latitude of suborbital point of spacecraft
Nadir Lon: 45.1E  
Longitude of suborbital point of spacecraft
Sun Azimuth: 330   Clockwise angle in degrees from north to the sun measured at the nadir point
Space Craft Altitude: 225   nautical miles
Sun Elevation: -49   Angle in degrees between the horizon and the sun, measured at the nadir point
Land Views:  
Water Views:  
Atmosphere Views:  
Man Made Views: HIGHWAY  
City Views: MECCA  
Photo is not associated with any sequences


NASA
Home Page
JSC
Home Page
JSC Digital
Image Collection
Earth Science &
Remote Sensing

NASA meatball logo
This service is provided by the International Space Station program and the JSC Earth Science & Remote Sensing Unit, ARES Division, Exploration Integration Science Directorate.
ESRS logo