Potosi, Bolivia

Potosi is the capital city of the Department of Potosi in Bolivia, and one of the highest cities in the world at 4090 m. For centuries it was the location of the Spanish colonial silver mint, the major supplier of silver for the Spanish Empire until the 18th century. Potosi lies at the foot of the Cerro Rico ("rich mountain"), rumored to be made of silver. Today, Potosi continues to be an important mining center, and is famous for its well-preserved colonial architecture. The perspective view covers an area of about 20 by 30 km, was acquired October 12, 2021, and is located at 19.6 degrees south, 65.7 degrees west.

With its 14 spectral bands from the visible to the thermal infrared wavelength region and its high spatial resolution of about 50 to 300 feet (15 to 90 meters), ASTER images Earth to map and monitor the changing surface of our planet. ASTER is one of five Earth-observing instruments launched Dec. 18, 1999, on Terra. The instrument was built by Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. A joint U.S./Japan science team is responsible for validation and calibration of the instrument and data products.

The broad spectral coverage and high spectral resolution of ASTER provides scientists in numerous disciplines with critical information for surface mapping and monitoring of dynamic conditions and temporal change. Example applications are monitoring glacial advances and retreats; monitoring potentially active volcanoes; identifying crop stress; determining cloud morphology and physical properties; wetlands evaluation; thermal pollution monitoring; coral reef degradation; surface temperature mapping of soils and geology; and measuring surface heat balance.

The U.S. science team is located at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. The Terra mission is part of NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington.

More information about ASTER is available at http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/.