Mt. Fuji, a dormant volcano, rises skyward in this premiere image
from a Japanese Earth-watching satellite.
Built from
the first data collected by Japan’s Advanced Land Observing Satellite (ALOS) –
which launched
Jan. 24 – this image is part of a Feb. 14 test of the spacecraft’s instruments.
ALOS used its
Panchromatic Remote-sensing Instrument for Stereo Mapping (PRISM) instrument to
generate this stereo view of Mt. Fuji and its surrounding region. The volcano
itself rises 3,776 meters into the sky, but has not erupted since 1707. It sits
in the prefectures of Yamanashi and Shizuoka about 100 kilometers west of Tokyo.
Rivers and
streets can easily be seen in the Kofu Basin in this view. Also included is Motosu Lake, one of five lakes that make up the Fuji Five Lakes region. Featured on the 5,000
Yen note, Motosu Lake is the westernmost of its group, all of which were formed
by lava flows.
Thousands
of people scale Mt. Fuji each year during the climbing season in July and
August.
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