Cape Cod, as Seen from Space

Astronauts aboard the Johnson Space Center snapped this shot of vacation haven Cape Cod, set against the shimmering sea.

Photo By: NASA

A NASA astronaut aboard the Johnson Space Center snapped this photo of Massachusetts, with Cape Cod clearly defined against the Atlantic Ocean and Cape Cod Bay.

The shimmer on the sea is known as sunglint, which NASA describes as being "caused by sunlight reflecting off of a water surface directly towards the observer—much as light reflects from a mirror. Variations in the roughness of the water surface scatter the light, blurring the reflection and producing the silvery sheen of a sunglint area."

NASA also notes that the Congress designated the Cape Cod National Seashore, a national parks designation, 50 years ago this month.

Henry David Thoreau wrote about Cape Cod, "A man may stand there and put all America behind him."

Or all the universe, depending on one's vantage point.

> Related: Ecotourism Tips, Tricks and Trips

COMMENTS ()