Astronomy Picture of the Day 11-12-02

NASA ^ | 11-12-02 | Robert Nemiroff and Jerry Bonnell

[petuniasevan]

Astronomy Picture of the Day

Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.

2002 November 12

Terkezi Oasis in the Sahara Desert
Credit: Landsat 7, NASA

Explanation: Dominating the top third of Africa is the largest band of dry land on Earth: the Sahara Desert. Stretching across the Sahara are vast planes of sand and gravel, seas of sand dunes, and barren rocky mountains. Only 10,000 years ago, however, grasses covered the region, then rich in mammals such as lions and elephants. Now only two percent of the Sahara are oases, patches of land where crops will grow and where nearly two million people live. Oases are usually centered on natural water springs. Pictured above is colorful and rocky land spanning about 50 kilometers near the Terkezi Oasis in Chad.

[petuniasevan]

Astronomy Fun Fact:

It may seem strange to devote a day of APOD to a geology lesson, but I think I know why. Our understanding of our own planet's landforms, and their appearance from space, can tell us a lot about other worlds we might visit, such as Mars.

[petuniasevan]

[sistergoldenhair]

Interesting.
Thanks for the ping.

[firewalk]

Good morning & thank you for the ping

[Soaring Feather]

Terkezi Oasis in the Sahara Desert

A fabulous picture!