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  Image: Geographic Location Direction Photo #: ISS046-E-693 Date: Dec. 2015
Geographic Region: IRAN
Feature: KAVIR DESERT, SALT LAKE, SHORELINE, MESA

Ordering information for space photography
 
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  View Low-Resolution Image  
  Kavir Desert Landscape, Iran

Part of the astronaut experience is seeing very many landscape and geology patterns, especially in deserts where vegetation is thin on the ground. A crew member aboard the International Space Station took this image of a circular hill in central Iran (image right). Even from 400 km up in space, this long-lens image shows details of the small (3.25 km long) flat hilltop. Numerous, multi-colored lines on the sides of the hill show that the hill is made of many thin layers of sedimentary rock. The neighboring dry lake has a white salt-covered surface. By contrast, the darkest areas are shrubby desert vegetation on the lowest slopes of the hill, the only zone where enough water concentrates to allow vegetation to grow.



The astronaut might even be able to tell the difference between the long curved lines on the left of the image. One is an ancient shoreline formed when the lake contained permanent water--with waves strong enough to shape sediments into the form of a smooth beach. Another curved, slightly irregular line is a harder rock layer sticking out of the desert floor.


 
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Images: All Available Images Low-Resolution 123k
Mission: ISS046  
Roll - Frame: E - 693
Geographical Name: IRAN  
Features: KAVIR DESERT, SALT LAKE, SHORELINE, MESA  
Center Lat x Lon: 34.9N x 54.0E
Film Exposure:   N=Normal exposure, U=Under exposed, O=Over exposed, F=out of Focus
Percentage of Cloud Cover-CLDP: 10
 
Camera: N6
 
Camera Tilt: 04   LO=Low Oblique, HO=High Oblique, NV=Near Vertical
Camera Focal Length: 1150  
 
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: 20151213   YYYYMMDD
Time: 110618   GMT HHMMSS
Nadir Lat: 34.8N  
Latitude of suborbital point of spacecraft
Nadir Lon: 54.2E  
Longitude of suborbital point of spacecraft
Sun Azimuth: 221   Clockwise angle in degrees from north to the sun measured at the nadir point
Space Craft Altitude: 217   nautical miles
Sun Elevation: 20   Angle in degrees between the horizon and the sun, measured at the nadir point
Land Views: DESERT, HILL  
Water Views: LAKE  
Atmosphere Views:  
Man Made Views:  
City Views:  
Photo is not associated with any sequences


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