Mountain Shadows, Western Mongolia

An astronaut onboard the Worldwide House Station (ISS) took this {photograph} of a mountain vary throughout the Altai Mountains of central Asia. Most daytime, nadir-looking (straight down) views of Earth from the ISS seem two-dimensional. Subsequently, astronauts usually take pictures when there are low Solar angles as a approach of showing the three dimensions of the panorama.

On this picture, the late afternoon daylight casts lengthy shadows onto surrounding snow-covered plains in Mongolia. The shadows undertaking the final shapes of the mountains, their heights relative to one another, and a few particulars of the ridge crests. A number of peaks on this vary rise to elevations higher than 3,000 meters (10,000 toes) above sea degree; they stand roughly 1,700 meters (5,600 toes) above the plains.

The flat plains had been fashioned by sediment that was carried down by the rivers flowing out of the mountains; these are often called alluvial followers. Water from these rivers in the end flows into Lake Uvs (simply exterior the best margin of the picture), a saline, endorheic lake on this semi-arid area.

As is widespread on this planet’s dry locations, water from mountain rivers largely flows underground by the alluvial followers (besides after heavier rains, when water flows over fan surfaces). The place the water once more reaches the floor, it varieties a line of springs that’s seen from area. This water provides rise to darker patches of vegetation and melted snow.

This spring water additionally provides native populations. One of many darker patches alongside the spring line is the city of Ulaangom (inhabitants 31,000), the capital of the Uvs province of Mongolia. The village of Turgan additionally seems as a small grey patch subsequent to a river.

Different faint options on the plains present the work of people. A highway and Ulaangom’s new airport seem as straight strains. For a way of scale, the space between the middle of Ulaangom and the airport is 12.5 kilometers (8 miles).

Astronaut {photograph} ISS066-E-137473 was acquired on February 7, 2022, with a Nikon D5 digital digital camera utilizing a focal size of 200 millimeters. It’s supplied by the ISS Crew Earth Observations Facility and the Earth Science and Distant Sensing Unit, Johnson House Middle. The picture was taken by a member of the Expedition 66 crew. The picture has been cropped and enhanced to enhance distinction, and lens artifacts have been eliminated. The Worldwide House Station Program helps the laboratory as a part of the ISS Nationwide Lab to assist astronauts take footage of Earth that might be of the best worth to scientists and the general public, and to make these photographs freely out there on the Web. Further photographs taken by astronauts and cosmonauts will be considered on the NASA/JSC Gateway to Astronaut Images of Earth. Caption by Justin Wilkinson, Texas State College, JETS Contract at NASA-JSC.