Roof of the World

May 07, 2004

Iss008-e-13304

Provided by: Earth Observatory, NASA GSFC
Summary authors & editors: Earth Observatory; Jim Foster

Can you locate Mt.Everest -- the roof of our world? Astronauts onboard the International Space Station (ISS) have a unique view of Earth because of their position in low orbit (200 nautical miles, 360 km), and also because they're able to look out the windows of their spacecraft at nearly any angle. This oblique view of the Himilayas, looking south from over the Tibetan Plateau, was captured on January 28, 2004. At first glance, it's easy to believe that this stunning shot was taken from an airplane. However, the summits of Makalu at upper left (8,462 meters or 27,765 feet) and Mt. Everest at right center (8,850 meters or 29,035 feet) are at the heights typically flown by commercial aircraft.

A Kodak DCS760 digital camera and an 800-mm lens on January 28, 2004, was used to take this photo. Image provided by the Earth Observations Laboratory, Johnson Space Center.

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