- Original Caption Released with Image:
-
This ASTER image of Mt. Vesuvius Italy was acquired September 26, 2000,
and covers an area of 36 by 45 km. Vesuvius overlooks the city of Naples
and the Bay of Naples in central Italy. In 79 AD, Vesuvius erupted
cataclysmically, burying all of the surrounding cites with up to 30 m of
ash. The towns of Pompeii and Herculanaeum were rediscovered in the 18th
century, and excavated in the 20th century. They provide a snapshot of
Roman life from 2000 years ago: perfectly preserved are wooden objects,
food items, and the casts of hundreds of victims. Vesuvius is intensively
monitored for potential signs of unrest that could signal the beginning of
another eruption. The image is centered at 40.8 degrees north latitude,
14.4 degrees east longitude.
The U.S. science team is located at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory,
Pasadena, Calif. The Terra mission is part of NASA's Science Mission
Directorate.
- Image Credit:
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NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team
Image Addition Date:
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2001-10-22
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