On Friday, April 26, an avalanche on Mount Everest killed at least 13 Sherpa guides. The Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) instrument on NASA's Terra spacecraft captured this perspective view image of the mountain and avalanche location on April 28, 2014. The avalanche occurred in an area nicknamed the "popcorn field" (red star), which is surrounded by ice boulders along the route leading through the Khumbu Icefall. This perspective view looks toward the northeast, with Everest in the center of the view, and Lhotse, the fourth-highest mountain on Earth, on the skyline to the right center.
Image credit: NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team
This satellite image shows an area of the Himalaya mountain range in northeastern Nepal, about 8 km south of Mount Everest (not pictured).
The Himalayas are the world’s highest mountain range and home to the world’s highest peak, Mt Everest (about 8850 m), as well as dozens of other peaks over 7000 m high. These high peaks are covered permanently with snow.
The range is also home to thousands of glaciers, including the Imja glacier in the upper-central part of this image. Studies have shown an increase in the rate of glacial retreat for Imja and many other glaciers in the region – and in the world.
Glaciers are the largest reservoirs of freshwater on our planet, and their melting or growing is one of the best indicators of climate change. Satellite radar data can help monitor changes in glacier mass and, subsequently, their contribution to rising sea levels.
Glacial runoff from the Himalayas has a direct effect on the nearby rivers such as the Indus and Ganges, and is very important for lower-lying regions where there is a very large human population.
At the foot of the Imja glacier is the Imja lake, pictured in the upper-left. Melt-water makes this one of the fastest growing lakes in the Himalayas, and a threat to downstream communities.
This image, also featured in the Earth from Space video program, was acquired by the Kompsat-2 satellite on 14 January 2013.
Photo credit: KARI/ESA
Kathmandu is the capital of Nepal, with a population of about 2.5 million inhabitants for the greater metropolitan area. The city is the gateway to tourism in Nepal, and is the center of the country's economy, with a literacy rate of 98%. The Kathmandu Valley is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site to recognize the rich number of monuments found in seven different monument zones. The image was acquired March 4, 2009, covers an area of 22 by 22 km, and is located at 27.6 degrees north latitude, 85.3 degrees east longitude.
Photo credit: NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team
