OBSERVATION / 002

Uluru, from orbit.

Astronaut view of Uluru: a massive sandstone formation casting dark shadows across Australia’s red desert.

NASA / Johnson Space Center · ISS Expedition 49

Location: Uluru / Australia
Image acquired: September 23, 2016
Platform / instrument: International Space Station / Nikon D4
Image type: Astronaut photograph

Field notes

Uluru rises 348 meters above the surrounding plain in central Australia. In this photograph from the International Space Station, its long shadows and exposed layers give the sandstone formation a very different presence from the familiar ground-level view.

The rock began as sediment that was buried, compressed, and tilted by tectonic forces. Erosion later removed softer material around it. Uluru is also a sacred place for Indigenous Australians, with a cultural history that extends far beyond what a photograph can show.

Read NASA’s full account ↗

This is dated source imagery. The homepage overlay is a graphic treatment, not a georeferenced measurement.