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It might be a familiar backdrop for isle residents, but we bet you have never seen Mauna Kea from quite this vantage point.
This astronaut photograph (ISS019-E-11922) was snapped April 28, with a Nikon D2Xs digital camera fitted with a 400 mm lens and is provided by the ISS Crew Earth Observations experiment and the Image Science & Analysis Laboratory, Johnson Space Center.Â
The image – which has been cropped and enhanced to improve contrast – was taken by the Expedition 19 crew.Â
Andrew Cooper, an engineer who works with W.M. Keck Observatory and also volunteers at the Mauna Kea Visitor Information Station, said he was impressed by the photo.
“Looking down from 191 nautical miles provides a unique vantage point for photography,” Cooper said. “The photo was taken on April 28 at about 10:03 local time. Checking my schedule, I found that I was indeed on the mountain that morning. You can just make out the two white spots of Keck Observatory in the full size photo. If I had only known to walk outside, look up and wave.”
— Find out more:
Andrew Cooper’s ‘A Darker View’: darkerview.com
NASA Image of the Day: earthobservatory.nasa.gov
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