Earth from Space - Image Information


LOCATION Direction Photo #: ISS033-E-22852 Date: Nov. 2012
Geographic Region: JAPAN
Feature: NAKA-DAKE VOLCANO,ASO CALDERA,MINAMIASO,AGRICULTURE


IMAGE
 
Aso Caldera, Kyushu, Japan

Note: This caption refers to the image versions labeled "NASA's Earth Observatory web site".

This astronaut photograph highlights the 24-km wide Aso caldera on the Japanese Island of Kyushu, formed during four explosive eruptions that took place from 300,000 to 90,000 years ago. These major eruptions produced pyroclastic flows and airfall tephra that covered much of Kyushu. As the eruptions emptied the magma chambers beneath the ancient volcanoes, they collapsed - forming the caldera. Shadows highlight the caldera rim at image right, while green vegetation covers slopes between the rim and caldera floor at image left.

Volcanic activity continued in the caldera following its formation, represented by 17 younger volcanoes including Naka-dake at image center. Naka-dake is one of Japan's most active volcanoes, with ash plumes produced from the summit crater as recently as June 2011. Another prominent crater, Kusasenri, is visible to the west of Naka-dake. This crater is the site of the Aso Volcano Museum as well as pasture for cows and horses.

The Aso caldera floor is largely occupied by urban and agricultural land uses that present a gray to white speckled appearance in the image. Fields and cities surround the younger volcanic structures in the caldera center to the north, west, and south. Tan to yellow-brown regions along the crater rim, and along the lower slopes of the younger volcanic highlands in the central caldera, are lacking the dense tree cover indicated by greener areas in the image.


Images: All Available Images Low-Resolution 286k
Mission: ISS033  
Roll - Frame: E - 22852
Geographical Name: JAPAN  
Features: NAKA-DAKE VOLCANO,ASO CALDERA,MINAMIASO,AGRICULTURE  
Center Lat x Lon: 32.9N x 131.1E
Film Exposure:   N=Normal exposure, U=Under exposed, O=Over exposed, F=out of Focus
Percentage of Cloud Cover-CLDP: 10
 
Camera:: N5
 
Camera Tilt: 36   LO=Low Oblique, HO=High Oblique, NV=Near Vertical
Camera Focal Length: 400  
 
Nadir to Photo Center Direction: N   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: 20121118   YYYYMMDD
Time: 024043   GMT HHMMSS
Nadir Lat: 30.3N  
Latitude of suborbital point of spacecraft
Nadir Lon: 131.8E  
Longitude of suborbital point of spacecraft
Sun Azimuth: 175   Clockwise angle in degrees from north to the sun measured at the nadir point
Space Craft Altitude: 226   nautical miles
Sun Elevation: 40   Angle in degrees between the horizon and the sun, measured at the nadir point
Land Views: CALDERA, CRATER, VOLCANO  
Water Views:  
Atmosphere Views:  
Man Made Views:  
City Views:  

Photo is not associated with any sequences


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