Earth Observation

ISS040-E-006271 (31 May 2014) --- One of the Expedition 40 crew members aboard the Earth-orbiting International Space Station captured this panoramic image of South Africa on May 31, 2014. A combination of contrails and a bit of winter mist appears to have formed alphabetic and/or numeric characters in the upper right near the horizon. Sun glint off the south coast is slightly confusing as it is similar in brightness to the west-coast cloud cover, where an Atlantic storm rolls in. The Cape Fold Mountains cross the center of the view, going east from the Cape Town region (clouds obscure the Cape peninsula which normally serves as an icon for this part of Africa). A popular winegrowing region attributable to the Mediterranean climate is the area around Cape Town near lower left. Witwatersrand lies at the top of the picture obscured by the seemingly ever-present winter smoke and smog. The Orange River valley appears as a dark, nearly horizontal line at left.