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Where is it?The Sulaiman Mountains , in Pakistan [ 31.42234772 , 69.99196811 ]
What ’s in the photo?A wall of fog trapped behind a monolithic , mountainous ridge
A wall of haze, cloud and mist gets trapped behind a section of the Sulaiman Mountains in Pakistan.
Who took the photo?An unnamed cosmonaut on board the International Space Station
When was it taken?Dec . 17 , 2023
This spaceman photo , capture in 2023 , shows a wall of daze trap by a mickle range in Pakistan . The low slant of the photo provides a unique perspective of the clouds pressed up against the peaks .
This sketch from the 19th century shows members of the Lohani tribe setting up camp at the base of the Sulaiman Mountain’s most famous peak, Takht-e-Sulaiman.
Pictured in the image is a surgical incision of the Sulaiman Mountains , which cover around 2,500 square miles ( 6,500 straightforward km ) of Afghanistan and Pakistan . The name " Sulaiman " intend " of Solomon " in Balochi — a point of reference to the scriptural figure King Solomon , whoruled ancient Israelaround 3,000 long time ago .
The mountain form a instinctive roadblock around 9,800 metrical unit ( 3,000 meters ) above ocean level . Elevated plateaus sit to their Mae West , and the Indus River Valley lie to their east , where moisture from the Indian Ocean frequently accumulates , creating a mixture of haze , mist and clouds . The various material body of water vapour are too low to pass above the spate and are alternatively forced around the peaks via a process known as terrain - forced period , according toNASA ’s Earth Observatory .
However , some pocket-size clouds can still force their room in between the peaks in a few stead . One of these billet , located in the center of the image , is right on above a small Pakistani town name Dhana Sar , where a gorge cuts through the mountains .
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The Sulaiman Mountains are an university extension of the southerly Hindu Kush plenty scheme , which constitute around 60 million years ago by a " slow - motion hit of the Indian and Eurasiatic architectonic plates , " fit in toNASA ’s Earth Observatory .
The mountains ' best - known peak isTakht - eastward - Sulaiman , also known as the " Throne of Solomon , " where its namesake purportedly wax up to stare over Hindustan — the ancient terminal figure used to identify the northern parts of the Amerind subcontinent , grant to thewritings of 14th - 100 IE Ibn Battuta . This mountain , which is 11,440 feet ( 3,487 m ) tall , is place just out of shot ( to the left of the figure of speech ) , around 20 miles ( 32 kilometer ) north of Dhana Sar .
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Despite being seize from space , the exposure looks like it has been guide from the strain because it is " oblique , " meaning it has been claim side - on from an slant of around 45 degrees . This gist can be achieve only from theInternational Space Stationbecause astronauts can take photos out of the place ’s side windows . Most satellites , by line , are confine to the traditional straight - down , or " low-water mark , " perspective .
