Roof of the World and the Abode of Snow

The Tibetan Plateau and a portion of the Himalayan Mountain chain are captured in this MISR stereo image from May 14, 2000 (Terra orbit 2153). The image is a composite of data from the instrument's vertical and 46-degree forward cameras, and has been oriented with north at the left. Viewing the image in 3-D requires the use of red/blue glasses with the red filter placed over your left eye.

On the left side of this image is the Tibetan Plateau, the highest plateau on Earth and often called the "Roof of the World." Near the lower left is lake Paiku Co, at an altitude of 4591 meters. The border between Tibet and Nepal marks the eastern extent of the magnificent Himalayan Mountains, home to many of the world's highest peaks. Himalaya is a Sanskrit word meaning "the Abode of Snow." Mt. Everest (8848 meters) and Mt. Makalu (8481 meters) are visible near the top center of the image.

Further to the south is the Mahabharat Range, separated from the Himalayas by the "River of Gold," the Sun Kosi. Rounding out our tour from north to south, on the righthand side of the image, is the densely populated Indo-Gangetic Plain of northern India.

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.