Observing #Earth - ISS Expedition 41

One of the Expedition 41 crew members on the International Space Station captured this image of Mount Egmont Volcano, New Zealand. Sometimes referred to as Mount Taranaki, the land feature is a young stratovolcano that began to form 70,000 years ago, according to volcanists. Located in southwest North Island, New Zealand, Mount Egmont, at 8,261 feet is the second tallest volcanic mountain in New Zealand. Perpetually snow-capped, the volcano last erupted in 1755. Mount Egmont has a history of a major size eruption occurring every 340 years, with numerous minor ones in between. The volcano has had three major cone collapses in the last 25,000 years with the last collapse occurring 6,970 years ago. With each collapse, thick layers of ash and lava crumbled into thick, muddy avalanches called lahars. These lahars have reached the coastline 25 miles (40 kilometers) to the west and north of the volcano. Egmont is surrounded by forest, especially on its lower flanks, which is part of a National Park. The pastureland that circles the park is used for dairy farming.

One of the long-standing experiments on the International Space Station is called Crew Earth Observations. The unique vantage point of Earth from space has allowed astronauts to capture some of the most compelling photographs ever seen. They are not only beautiful photographs, but also offer insight into how the planet is changing over time, from human-caused changes like urban growth and reservoir construction, to natural dynamic events such as hurricanes, floods and volcanic eruptions. Crew members have been photographing Earth from space since the early Mercury missions beginning in 1961. The continuous images taken from the space station ensure this record remains unbroken.

In celebration of Earth month, Marshall has posted images on Instagram of our planet beginning with Expedition 1 from 2000 all the way through the current Expedition 47.

To follow NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center on Instagram, click here.

Marshall's Flickr will be posting these images this week in further celebration of Earth month. Keep up with all the images by clicking here.

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Taken on: September 30, 2014

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Sets appears in: • Views from the International Space Station

Camera: Nikon D3S, f/22.0, 1/8000 sec, 200mm, ISO 12800 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Nikon D3S
Lens:	80.0-200.0 mm f/2.8
Aperture:	f/22.0
Exposure Time:	1/8000 sec
Focal Length:	200mm
ISO:	12800
Exposure Bias:	-1 EV
Flash:	No Flash
Exposure Program:	Program AE
Exposure Mode:	Auto
Metering Mode:	Spot
White Balance:	Auto
Gain Control:	High gain up
Sharpness:	Hard
Color Space:	sRGB
Software:	Adobe Photoshop CS6 (Windows)
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