Earth from Space - Image Information


LOCATION Direction Photo #: ISS062-E-112947 Date: Mar. 2020
Geographic Region: MEXICO
Feature: COLIMA VOLCANO, MEXICO CITY, POPOCATEPETL VOLCANO, PICO DE ORIZABA VOLCANO, SIERRA MADRE DEL SUR, GULF OF MEXICO, PACIFIC OCEAN


 
Wide-Eyed Over Mexico

An astronaut onboard the International Space Station (ISS) took this photograph using a short camera lens, capturing almost all of Mexico in one shot. The wide field of view is framed by the center window of the ISS Cupola module and includes a solar array of the Northrop Grumman Cygnus cargo spacecraft.

This view encompasses most of Mexico's mountain ranges and long coastlines, though details like individual cities and volcanoes are not readily distinguishable. Active volcanoes like Popocatepetl, Colima, and Pico de Orizaba are nestled throughout the Sierra Madre del Sur mountains. Mexico City, which is regularly rattled by earthquakes, sits at the foot of Popocatepetl.

Different climate zones are broadly visible in the image. On the southern coast facing the Gulf of Mexico, the climate is tropical and wet. Forests and coastal plains appear with a slight green tone. Looking inland, clouds tend to form around the mountains and often shroud tall volcanic peaks. The lighter toned tan-brown terrain of the interior is mostly desert country that stretches north across the U.S.-Mexico border.

Further Reading

  • Giddings, L. at al. (2005) Standardized Precipitation Index Zones for México (//www.scielo.org.mx/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0187-62362005000100003). Atmosfera 18 (1).
  • NASA Earth Observatory (2016, January 25) Volcanic Activity at Popocatepetl.
  • NASA Earth Observatory (2011, February 10) Pico de Orizaba, Mexico.
  • NASA Earth Observatory (2011, January 22) Eruption of Colima Volcano.


  • Images: All Available Images Low-Resolution 81k
    Mission: ISS062  
    Roll - Frame: E - 112947
    Geographical Name: MEXICO  
    Features: COLIMA VOLCANO, MEXICO CITY, POPOCATEPETL VOLCANO, PICO DE ORIZABA VOLCANO, SIERRA MADRE DEL SUR, GULF OF MEXICO, PACIFIC OCEAN  
    Center Lat x Lon: 16.5N x 96.5W
    Film Exposure:   N=Normal exposure, U=Under exposed, O=Over exposed, F=out of Focus
    Percentage of Cloud Cover-CLDP: 25
     
    Camera:: N8
     
    Camera Tilt: HO   LO=Low Oblique, HO=High Oblique, NV=Near Vertical
    Camera Focal Length: 16  
     
    Nadir to Photo Center Direction: NE   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: 20200323   YYYYMMDD
    Time: 223019   GMT HHMMSS
    Nadir Lat: 11.7N  
    Latitude of suborbital point of spacecraft
    Nadir Lon: 99.8W  
    Longitude of suborbital point of spacecraft
    Sun Azimuth: 264   Clockwise angle in degrees from north to the sun measured at the nadir point
    Space Craft Altitude: 225   nautical miles
    Sun Elevation: 33   Angle in degrees between the horizon and the sun, measured at the nadir point
    Land Views: COAST, DESERT, MOUNTAIN, MOUNTAINS, VOLCANO  
    Water Views: GULF  
    Atmosphere Views: CLOUDS  
    Man Made Views:  
    City Views: MEXICO CITY, READING  

    Photo is not associated with any sequences


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