Western Australia

Credit: Jeff Schmaltz; MODIS team; NASA, Posted on: Saturday, 21 June 2008, 07:10 CDT Download full size image

A relatively clear day on May 20, 2008 gave the MODIS on the Terra satellite this view of Western Austria. There are several noteworthy features visible in this image. Near the center of the image, Australia's coastline curves into a long, smooth arc. This is Eighty Mile Beach, which is named for its length; it is located between the towns of Broome and Port Hedland.

Various salt lakes and rivers appear white against the reddish terrain of the surrounding desert. One of them is the sinuous white curvy line located in the lower right corner of the image. This is actually a chain of salt lakes called the Percival Lakes, which runs for hundreds of miles. Just below the westernmost part of Percival Lakes is a large white patch - this is Lake Disappointment. It was so named by the explorer Frank Hann in 1897, after his disappointment at finding that the lake was salt water, not fresh.

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