Sunday, May 8, 2011

Desert Dunes Seen From Space

Deserts are known for being desolate and lifeless, but they are also quite striking and beautiful, especially when seen from above. Different types of sand, topography, wind and climate combine to form a tremendous variety of landscapes. Shifting dunes are carved into an endless number of constantly changing shapes. These images have been taken by orbiting astronauts and satellites to show some of the most beautiful, most haunting, biggest, rarest and most stunning desert vistas on Earth.




The Namib Desert features dunes that reach nearly 1,000 feet high, carved by winds along Namibia’s Atlantic coast. The Namib-Naukluft National Park pictured here is Africa’s largest game park and home to hyenas, jackals, geckos and other strange animals. The desert may also be the world’s oldest, having been in a dry climate for 55 million years. Today, the area receives an annual average of just 2.5 inches of rain.


*For more on this please visit :  http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2009/12/deserts-gallery-1/


 
(Images: Above: NASA/USGS. Below: NASA/ASTER)

2 comments:

Dreamlife said...

Is that the same as the Skeleton Coast of Namibia?

I've got a pic of that up at work - and it's amazing...ocean right next to desert. It's visually seeing the power of the One who created it all...

desert demons said...

Yep the same one. I agree with you totally and the sheer scale and beauty of the visual. 'And which of teh favours of your Lord will ye deny...'