Rocky Mountains

On April 29, 2015 the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard NASA’s Terra satellite captured a true-color image of a typical spring scene in the western United State: snow-crowned Rocky Mountains rising above the faintly greening plains. The Rocky Mountains stretch from British Columbia, Canada to the Rio Grande in New Mexico, a span of roughly 3,000 miles, and contains many of the highest peaks in the continental United States. The tallest, Mount Elbert, rises 14,400 ft. (4,401 m) above sea level, and is located in the San Isabel National Forest, near Leadville, Colorado. This image covers seven Rocky Mountain states. From north to south they are: Montana and Idaho, Wyoming; Utah (with the Great Salt Lake visible) and Colorado; Arizona and New Mexico. To the east, the Great Plain states captured are, from north to south: North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma and northwestern Texas. Credit: NASA/GSFC/Jeff Schmaltz/MODIS Land Rapid Response Team <b><a href="http://www.nasa.gov/audience/formedia/features/MP_Photo_Guidelines.html" rel="nofollow">NASA image use policy.</a></b> <b><a href="http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/home/index.html" rel="nofollow">NASA Goddard Space Flight Center</a></b> enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission. <b>Follow us on <a href="http://twitter.com/NASAGoddardPix" rel="nofollow">Twitter</a></b> <b>Like us on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Greenbelt-MD/NASA-Goddard/395013845897?ref=tsd" rel="nofollow">Facebook</a></b> <b>Find us on <a href="http://instagrid.me/nasagoddard/?vm=grid" rel="nofollow">Instagram</a></b>