The mountains and desert plateaus of northwest Colorado are contrasted here in two views
from the Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR). On the left, a natural-color view
acquired by MISR's vertical-viewing (nadir) camera illustrates these features at a pixel
resolution of 275 meters. A striking example of the capability of multiple view angles
to illustrate topography is provided by the 3D stereo anaglyph view on the right, which
was created by combining data from MISR's 46-degree forward-viewing and nadir cameras.
To facilitate stereo viewing, both images have been oriented with north toward the left.
Viewing the stereo image in 3D requires the use of red/blue glasses
with the red filter placed over your left eye.
Undoubtedly the dominant feature of central Colorado are the Rocky Mountains. Running roughly
north-south within the eastern portion of the image (across the top in this orientation)
mountain ranges pictured here include the Medicine Bow, Front, Gore and the Sawatch. The
Colorado River originates in the Rocky Mountains National Park near Lake Granby -- a dark
blue lake in the upper edge of the image toward the right of center. Other water bodies shown
include Antero Reservoir in the top right corner. The highest peak in the U.S. Rocky Mountains,
Mount Elbert, is situated west of Antero about halfway between the Turquoise and Twin Lakes.
The Colorado River traverses the length of the image, running roughly east and south to the
lower right-hand corner, where it meets the Gunnison River at the city of Grand Junction. The
striking "L" shaped feature in the lower image center is a sandstone monocline known as the
Grand Hogback. The Yampa River runs from its headwaters in the highlands about 65 kilometers
north of Steamboat Springs to Dinosaur National Monument in the lower left corner. Steamboat
Springs is the site of the Third International Workshop on Multiangular Measurements and Models
through June 12, 2002.
The images were acquired on September 12, 2000 (during Terra orbit 3923) and cover an area of
about 226 kilometers by 257 kilometers. They utilize data frm blocks 58 to 59 within World
Reference System-2 path 35.
MISR was built and is managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory,
Pasadena, CA, for NASA's Office of Earth Science, Washington, DC.
The Terra satellite is managed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center,
Greenbelt, MD. JPL is a division of the California Institute of
Technology.
Image credit: NASA/GSFC/LaRC/JPL, MISR Team.
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