Earth from Space - Image Information


LOCATION Direction Photo #: ISS062-E-113274 Date: Mar. 2020
Geographic Region: BRAZIL
Feature: RIO DE JANEIRO, GUANABARA BAY


 
Popcorn Clouds over Rio de Janeiro

Popcorn clouds dot the landscape over the Brazilian cities of Rio de Janeiro and Sao Goncalo in this photograph taken by an astronaut looking down from the International Space Station (ISS). Rio de Janeiro is home to more than 6.5 million people.

Clouds had formed over rural areas and densely populated cities but are noticeably absent above Guanabara Bay, the coastal lagoons, and the ocean due to the mechanisms of cloud formation. Heat from the Sun warms the land surfaces in the area, which then warms the air directly above it. That warm air, and all of its cloud-making water vapor, then rises and condenses into clouds.

Bodies of water, on the other hand, do not change temperature as rapidly; the water remains cooler even during full Sun exposure. The water does not heat up enough to significantly warm the air above it, preventing air from rising to make clouds. This, and many additional climate processes, can be traced to the different average heat capacity of water and land.

The cloudless window over Guanabara Bay allows for a view of its largest island, Governador Island. A sharp boundary separates the telltale shapes the runways of Rio de Janeiro-Galeao International Airport's and the densely populated eastern half of the island. The famed beaches of the area, such as Copacabana, line the Atlantic shore.



Images: All Available Images Low-Resolution 452k
Mission: ISS062  
Roll - Frame: E - 113274
Geographical Name: BRAZIL  
Features: RIO DE JANEIRO, GUANABARA BAY  
Center Lat x Lon: 22.8S x 43.2W
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: 23   LO=Low Oblique, HO=High Oblique, NV=Near Vertical
Camera Focal Length: 140  
 
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: 20200325   YYYYMMDD
Time: 160652   GMT HHMMSS
Nadir Lat: 24.1S  
Latitude of suborbital point of spacecraft
Nadir Lon: 44.2W  
Longitude of suborbital point of spacecraft
Sun Azimuth: 327   Clockwise angle in degrees from north to the sun measured at the nadir point
Space Craft Altitude: 228   nautical miles
Sun Elevation: 60   Angle in degrees between the horizon and the sun, measured at the nadir point
Land Views: ISLAND  
Water Views: BAY, OCEAN  
Atmosphere Views: CLOUDS  
Man Made Views: AIRPORT  
City Views: RIO DE JANEIRO  

Photo is not associated with any sequences


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