Checked content

File:Saint Helena Island.jpg

Summary

VI seal
Valued image

This image has been assessed under the valued image criteria and is considered the most valued image on Commons within the scope: Saint Helena Island. You can see its nomination at Commons:Valued image candidates/Saint Helena Island.jpg.


Description
English: This astronaut photograph shows the island’s sharp peaks and deep ravines; the rugged topography results from erosion of the volcanic rocks that make up the island. The change in elevation from the coast to the interior creates a climate gradient. The higher, wetter centre is covered with green vegetation, whereas the lower coastal areas are drier and hotter, with little vegetation cover.
Français : Photo de l'île de Sainte Hélène prise par un astronaute de la NASA. On peut voir les pics élevés de l'île et ses ravines profondes. Cette topographie accidentée résulte de l'action de l'érosion sur les roches volcaniques dont l'île est constituée. Le changement d'élévation entre la périphérie et le centre de l'île créé un gradient climatique: le sommet est plus frais et humide, il est couvert de végétation. Les côtes, plus chaudes et sèches, laissent apparaitre la roche nue.


International Space Station InsigniaISS Crew Earth Observations: ISS019-E-14918International Space Station Insignia
Identification
Mission ISS019 ( Expedition 19)
Roll E
Frame 14918
Country or Geographic Name ATLANTIC OCEAN I(S).
Features ST HELENA I., JAMESTOWN, DIANA PK., FOR., RAVINES
Centre Point Latitude -16.0° N
Centre Point Longitude -5.7° E
Camera
Camera Tilt
Camera Focal Length 400 mm
Camera Nikon D2Xs
Film 4288 x 2848 pixel CMOS sensor, RGBG imager colour filter.
Quality
Percentage of Cloud Cover 11-25%
Nadir What is Nadir?
Date 2009-05-07
Time 08:37:05
Nadir Point Latitude -15.7° N
Nadir Point Longitude -5.5° E
Nadir to Photo Centre Direction Southwest
Sun Azimuth 62°
Spacecraft Altitude 193 nautical miles (357 km)
Sun Elevation Angle 26°
Orbit Number 3952
Original image caption
Saint Helena Island, located in the South Atlantic Ocean approximately 1,860 kilometers (1,156 miles) west of Africa, was one of the many isolated islands that naturalist Charles Darwin visited during his scientific voyages in the nineteenth century. He visited the island in 1836 aboard the HMS Beagle, recording observations of the plants, animals, and geology that would shape his theory of evolution. This image was acquired by astronauts onboard the International Space Station as part of an ongoing effort (the HMS Beagle Project to document current biodiversity in areas visited by Charles Darwin.

This astronaut photograph shows the island’s sharp peaks and deep ravines; the rugged topography results from erosion of the volcanic rocks that make up the island. The change in elevation from the coast to the interior creates a climate gradient. The higher, wetter centre is covered with green vegetation, whereas the lower coastal areas are drier and hotter, with little vegetation cover. Human presence on the island has also caused dramatic changes to the original plants and animals of the island. Only about 10 percent of the forest cover observed by the first explorers now remains in a semi-natural state, concentrated in the interior highlands.

Saint Helena Island is perhaps best known as the final resting place of Napoleon Bonaparte I of France. Bonaparte was exiled to the island following his defeat at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815; he died on the island six years later in 1821. Today, the island is a British Overseas Territory, with access provided thirty times a year by a single ship, the Royal Mail Ship St. Helena.


Date 7 May 2009
Source NASA Earth Observatory
Author This image was taken by the NASA Expedition 19 crew.


Camera location

15° 56′ 59.90″ S, 5° 42′ 0.0″ W

This and other images at their locations on: Google Maps - Google Earth - OpenStreetMap ( Info)

This photograph was acquired with a Nikon 2DXs digital camera fitted with a 400 mm lens, and is provided by the ISS Crew Earth Observations experiment and Image Science & Analysis Laboratory, Johnson Space Centre.

Licensing

Public domain This file is in the public domain because it was solely created by NASA. NASA copyright policy states that "NASA material is not protected by copyright unless noted". (See Template:PD-USGov, NASA copyright policy page or JPL Image Use Policy.)
NASA logo.svg
Dialog-warning.svg
Warnings:
  • Use of NASA logos, insignia and emblems are restricted per US law 14 CFR 1221.
  • The NASA website hosts a large number of images from the Soviet/ Russian space agency, and other non-American space agencies. These are not necessarily in the public domain.
  • Materials based on Hubble Space Telescope data may be copyrighted if they are not explicitly produced by the STScI. See also {{ PD-Hubble}} and {{ Cc-Hubble}}.
  • The SOHO (ESA & NASA) joint project implies that all materials created by its probe are copyrighted and require permission for commercial non-educational use.
  • Images featured on the Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD) web site may be copyrighted.


Annotations This image is annotated: View the annotations at Commons
The following pages on Schools Wikipedia link to this image (list may be incomplete):

Metadata

Background information

SOS Children's Villages has brought Wikipedia to the classroom. The world's largest orphan charity, SOS Childrens Villages brings a better life to more than 2 million people in 133 countries around the globe. Sponsoring a child is the coolest way to help.