File:Dust Storm Over Turkmenistan.jpg
Summary
This west-looking astronaut photograph, taken with a short focal length lens from the International Space Station, spans a wide swath of central Asia—from Afghanistan, along the length of Turkmenistan, and beyond to the Caspian Sea. Winds blowing down the largest river valley in the region, the Amudarya, were strong enough to raise a large dust storm. Dust appears as a light brown mass extending into the center of the image from the lower right. Diffuse dust from prior windy weather appears over much of the area making a regional haze that hides landscape details. The haze partly obscures the irrigated agriculture in Turkmenistan and entirely obscures the Caspian Sea. Numerous rivers rise in the Hindu Kush range (lower left). The Band-i Amir River is a major tributary of the main regional river, the Amudarya, which it reaches via a deep canyon. The Amudarya River was the major historical contributor of water to the Aral Sea, but today extensive diversion of river water for agricultural purposes has led to desiccation of the sea bed. The exposed sea bed is a major source of saline dusts contaminated with agricultural chemicals, and it poses a significant environmental and human health hazard to central Asia. To a lesser extent, dusts are also mobilized from sediments along the Amudarya River channel. The Paropamisus Range and the Amudarya (also known as the Oxus River) are mentioned in histories of Alexander the Great’s famous military expedition from Greece to India. His horsemen are described as having made a fast side excursion from near the Caspian Sea (image top right) as far as the Amudarya (image lower right).
Identification | |
---|---|
Mission | ISS017 (<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expedition_17" class="extiw" title="en:Expedition 17">Expedition 17</a>) |
Roll | E |
Frame | 19616 |
Country or Geographic Name | Turkmenistan |
Features | AMUDARYA RIVER, HINDU KUSH MTS, DUST STORM |
Center Point Latitude | 36.0° N |
Center Point Longitude | 63.4° E |
Camera | |
Camera Tilt | High Oblique |
Camera Focal Length | 28 mm |
Camera | Nikon D2Xs |
Film | 4288 x 2848 pixel CMOS sensor, RGBG imager color filter. |
Quality | |
Percentage of Cloud Cover | 0-10% |
Nadir <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nadir" class="extiw" title="en:Nadir">What is Nadir?</a> | |
Date | 2008-10-16 |
Time | 10:59:53 |
Nadir Point Latitude | 33.8° N |
Nadir Point Longitude | 72.5° E |
Nadir to Photo Center Direction | West |
Sun Azimuth | 245° |
Spacecraft Altitude | 188 nautical miles (348 km) |
Sun Elevation Angle | 18° |
Orbit Number | 761 |
Licensing
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File history
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Date/Time | Thumbnail | Dimensions | User | Comment | |
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current | 16:36, 5 January 2017 | 3,072 × 2,039 (911 KB) | 127.0.0.1 (talk) | This west-looking astronaut photograph, taken with a short focal length lens from the International Space Station, spans a wide swath of central Asia—from Afghanistan, along the length of Turkmenistan, and beyond to the Caspian Sea. Winds blowing down the largest river valley in the region, the Amudarya, were strong enough to raise a large dust storm. Dust appears as a light brown mass extending into the center of the image from the lower right. Diffuse dust from prior windy weather appears over much of the area making a regional haze that hides landscape details. The haze partly obscures the irrigated agriculture in Turkmenistan and entirely obscures the Caspian Sea. Numerous rivers rise in the Hindu Kush range (lower left). The Band-i Amir River is a major tributary of the main regional river, the Amudarya, which it reaches via a deep canyon. The Amudarya River was the major historical contributor of water to the Aral Sea, but today extensive diversion of river water for agricultural purposes has led to desiccation of the sea bed. The exposed sea bed is a major source of saline dusts contaminated with agricultural chemicals, and it poses a significant environmental and human health hazard to central Asia. To a lesser extent, dusts are also mobilized from sediments along the Amudarya River channel. The Paropamisus Range and the Amudarya (also known as the Oxus River) are mentioned in histories of Alexander the Great’s famous military expedition from Greece to India. His horsemen are described as having made a fast side excursion from near the Caspian Sea (image top right) as far as the Amudarya (image lower right). <p><br></p> <table class="infobox" style="float: left; width: 75%; text-align: left; font-size: 85%;line-height: 1.3em;"> <caption style="margin-left:0px; font-size: 135%;"> <span style="float:left;margin:5px; margin-top: 8px;"><img alt="International Space Station Insignia" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/56/S94-47164_ISS_Cupola_Artists_Rendering.png/34px-S94-47164_ISS_Cupola_Artists_Rendering.png" title="International Space Station Insignia" width="34" height="34" srcset="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/56/S94-47164_ISS_Cupola_Artists_Rendering.png/51px-S94-47164_ISS_Cupola_Artists_Rendering.png 1.5x, https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/56/S94-47164_ISS_Cupola_Artists_Rendering.png/68px-S94-47164_ISS_Cupola_Artists_Rendering.png 2x" data-file-width="3000" data-file-height="3000"></span><span style="line-height: 3.5em;">ISS Crew Earth Observations: <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/scripts/sseop/photo.pl?mission=ISS017&roll=E&frame=19616"><b>ISS017-E-19616</b></a></span><span style="float:right;margin:7px;"><img alt="International Space Station Insignia" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bb/ISS_insignia.svg/30px-ISS_insignia.svg.png" title="International Space Station Insignia" width="30" height="37" srcset="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bb/ISS_insignia.svg/45px-ISS_insignia.svg.png 1.5x, https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bb/ISS_insignia.svg/60px-ISS_insignia.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="800" data-file-height="990"></span> </caption> <tr><th colspan="2" style="line-height: 1.6em; font-size: 105%; text-align: left; background: #DDDDDD;"> Identification </th></tr> <tr> <th width="33%"> Mission </th> <td> ISS017 (<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expedition_17" class="extiw" title="en:Expedition 17">Expedition 17</a>) </td> </tr> <tr> <th> <abbr class="abbr" title="A single letter E refers to images that were originally captured in digital form including electronic still camera (ESC) and High Definition Television (HDTV) images.">Roll</abbr> </th> <td> E </td> </tr> <tr> <th> Frame </th> <td> 19616 </td> </tr> <tr> <th> Country or Geographic Name </th> <td> Turkmenistan </td> </tr> <tr> <th> Features </th> <td> AMUDARYA RIVER, HINDU KUSH MTS, DUST STORM </td> </tr> <tr> <th> <abbr class="abbr" title="Negative numbers indicate photos south of the equator.">Center Point Latitude</abbr> </th> <td> 36.0° N </td> </tr> <tr> <th> <abbr class="abbr" title="Negative numbers indicate photos west of the prime meridian.">Center Point Longitude</abbr> </th> <td> 63.4° E </td> </tr> <tr><th colspan="2" style="line-height: 1.6em; font-size: 105%; text-align: left; background: #DDDDDD;"> Camera </th></tr> <tr> <th> <abbr class="abbr" title="Calculated look angle away from a straight nadir (straight down below the spacecraft) view.">Camera Tilt</abbr> </th> <td> High Oblique </td> </tr> <tr> <th> Camera Focal Length </th> <td> 28 mm </td> </tr> <tr> <th> Camera </th> <td> Nikon D2Xs </td> </tr> <tr> <th> Film </th> <td> 4288 x 2848 pixel CMOS sensor, RGBG imager color filter. </td> </tr> <tr><th colspan="2" style="line-height: 1.6em; font-size: 105%; text-align: left; background: #DDDDDD;"> Quality </th></tr> <tr> <th> <abbr class="abbr" title="Ranges are 0-10%, 11-25%, 26-50%, 51-75% and 76-100% cloud cover.">Percentage of Cloud Cover</abbr> </th> <td> 0-10% </td> </tr> <tr><th colspan="2" style="line-height: 1.6em; font-size: 105%; text-align: left; background: #DDDDDD;"> Nadir <span style="float:right;"><small><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nadir" class="extiw" title="en:Nadir">What is Nadir?</a></small></span> </th></tr> <tr> <th> Date </th> <td> <span class="mw-formatted-date" title="2008-10-16">2008-10-16</span> </td> </tr> <tr> <th> <abbr class="abbr" title="Greenwich Mean Time">Time</abbr> </th> <td> 10:59:53 </td> </tr> <tr> <th> Nadir Point Latitude </th> <td> 33.8° N </td> </tr> <tr> <th> Nadir Point Longitude </th> <td> 72.5° E </td> </tr> <tr> <th> Nadir to Photo Center Direction </th> <td> West </td> </tr> <tr> <th> <abbr class="abbr" title="Clockwise angle in degrees from north to the sun measured at the nadir point.">Sun Azimuth</abbr> </th> <td> 245° </td> </tr> <tr> <th> Spacecraft Altitude </th> <td> 188 nautical miles (348 km) </td> </tr> <tr> <th> <abbr class="abbr" title="Angle in degrees between the horizon and the sun, measured at the nadir point.">Sun Elevation Angle</abbr> </th> <td> 18° </td> </tr> <tr> <th> Orbit Number </th> <td> 761 </td> </tr> </table> <div style="clear:both;"></div> |
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