SPACEPHOTOS

This 3-D view of a coastal area in southernmost Oman shows how topographic information can be used to enhance satellite images, deriving a better understanding of the proces ses that sculpt the landscape. The coastline in the upper half of the image appears to follow the same trend as a canyon in the lower half of the image. Both features are probably coincident with a single fault that cuts the limestone bedrock. Note how in this climate limestone erodes sharply along the stream courses resulting in deep and na rrow canyons. Generally the landscape is barren, but the darker areas have sparse vegetation that is supported by summer monsoon moisture. The Arabian Sea is on the right.This anaglyph was generated by first draping a Landsat Thematic Mapper image over a topographic map from the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission, then using the topographic dat a to create two differing perspectives, one for each eye. When viewed through special glasses, the result is a vertically exaggerated view of the Earth's surface in its ful l three dimensions. Anaglyph glasses cover the left eye with a red filter and cover the right eye with a blue filter.Landsat satellites have provided visible light and infrared images of the Earth continuously since 1972. SRTM topographic data match the 30 meter (100 foot) spatial resolut ion of most Landsat images and will provide a valuable complement for studying the historic and growing Landsat data archive. Date Acquired: February 15, 2000