Great Smoky Mountains
June 16, 2010
Photographer: Regina Owens
Summary Author: Regina Owens; Jim Foster
Lush, green mountains sides and blue skies peppered with cumulus clouds are characteristic of the Great Smoky Mountains in late spring. This photo was taken at an overlook near Cherokee, North Carolina. The Smokies are part of the Appalachian Mountain Chain and were named for the appearance of distant ridges that often appear to be shrouded in smoke. Because of airlight and haze affects, distant ridges look rather bluish, and more distant ridges, those closer to the horizon, actually appear a bit bluer and brighter than nearer ones. The amount of airlight is dependent upon the distance to the mountain; the more distant the mountain the greater number of air molecules to scatter the sunlight. Defoliated trees in the foreground may be a result of gypsy moth infestation. Note that the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the most visited national park in the U.S. Photo taken on June 1, 2009.
Photo Details: Camera Maker: FUJIFILM; Camera Model: FinePix S3100; Image Date: 2004:01:01 00:01:18; Focal Length: 14.2mm; Aperture: f/9.0; Exposure Time: 0.0040 s (1/250); ISO equiv: 100.