SPACEPHOTOS

This panoramic east-looking photograph of southwest New Mexico portrays the heavily forested cluster of eastern mountains (Sierra Blanca, Sacramento, and Capitan) and Gila National Forest (including the Gallo, Mogollon, and Tularosa Mountains and the Black Range) to the west. Various shades of brown indicate sparsely vegetated valleys in the mountainous region. Visible between these mountain ranges are the narrow, linear Rio Grande and its rift valley extending north-south with large, dark Elephant Butte Reservoir in its course; the San Andres Mountains to its east; the highly reflective White Sands gypsum desert; and the ribbon-shaped, dark lava flow. Visible north of White Sands are the dry lakes of Laguna del Perro, and to their west is the southern end of the forested Manzano Mountains. To the west, clouds and snowcapped mountain peaks are discernible.