Earth from Space - Image Information


LOCATION Direction Photo #: ISS066-E-84674 Date: Dec. 2021
Geographic Region: INDIA
Feature: DACHIGAM NATIONAL PARK, WULAR LAKE, DAL LAKE, ANCHAR LAKE, SRINAGAR, MOUNT KOLAHOI, GULMARG, GULMARG WILDLIFE SANCTUARY, SOPORE, SUNSET PEAK, SNOW


 
Kashmir Valley Haze

The Kashmir Valley, also called the Vale of Kashmir, is an ancient, dried lake basin surrounded by ranges of the Himalaya Mountains. An astronaut aboard the International Space Station took this photograph of the region while orbiting over South Asia.

Although the Kashmir Valley no longer holds water, rainwater and snowmelt from the surrounding mountains drain through the basin via several waterways, including the Sind and Jhelum Rivers.

Several noteworthy peaks are visible within the mountain ranges adjacent to the valley. Mount Kolahoi, located east of the valley, is the tallest mountain in Kashmir at 5,425 meters (17,799 feet) above sea level. (Note that the image has been rotated such that north is toward the top-left.) Kolahoi Glacier--one of the largest glaciers in the region--rests on its northern slope. Mount Harmukh (5,142 meters, or 15,870 feet), located northeast of the valley, is considered a sacred peak in Hinduism and is a popular destination for pilgrims.

Temperature inversions often occur in the Kashmir Valley when cold, dense air flows down from the surrounding Himalayas and becomes trapped under warmer, comparably less dense air. Inversions are more common in winter, when the days are shorter and snow on the valley floor helps keep the air in the lower atmosphere from warming and mixing with upper level air.

A byproduct of temperature inversions in Kashmir Valley is a buildup of haze--an aerosol mixture composed of fine particles found in smog, smoke, and dust. The trapped aerosols absorb and scatter incoming sunlight, creating a layer of poor visibility. Haze has also been observed in the Kashmir Valley over the previous years by satellite sensors.

The city of Srinagar is located underneath a region of haze near the center of the photograph. Srinagar is the largest municipality in the Kashmir Valley and a contributor of smog, smoke, and other human-caused aerosols.



Images: All Available Images Low-Resolution 464k
Mission: ISS066  
Roll - Frame: E - 84674
Geographical Name: INDIA  
Features: DACHIGAM NATIONAL PARK, WULAR LAKE, DAL LAKE, ANCHAR LAKE, SRINAGAR, MOUNT KOLAHOI, GULMARG, GULMARG WILDLIFE SANCTUARY, SOPORE, SUNSET PEAK, SNOW  
Center Lat x Lon: 34.0N x 75.0E
Film Exposure:   N=Normal exposure, U=Under exposed, O=Over exposed, F=out of Focus
Percentage of Cloud Cover-CLDP: 10
 
Camera:: N8
 
Camera Tilt: 15   LO=Low Oblique, HO=High Oblique, NV=Near Vertical
Camera Focal Length: 70  
 
Nadir to Photo Center Direction: S   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: 20211201   YYYYMMDD
Time: 081532   GMT HHMMSS
Nadir Lat: 35.0N  
Latitude of suborbital point of spacecraft
Nadir Lon: 75.3E  
Longitude of suborbital point of spacecraft
Sun Azimuth: 203   Clockwise angle in degrees from north to the sun measured at the nadir point
Space Craft Altitude: 226   nautical miles
Sun Elevation: 30   Angle in degrees between the horizon and the sun, measured at the nadir point
Land Views:  
Water Views:  
Atmosphere Views:  
Man Made Views:  
City Views:  

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