Crew Earth Observations (CEO) taken during Expedition 8

ISS008-E-18202 (8 March 2004) --- This image featuring a Saharan dust outbreak was taken by an Expedition 8 crewmember onboard the International Space Station (ISS) from a position about 1400 kilometers off the coast of Mauritania (about 600 kilometers west of the Cape Verde Islands in the tropical Atlantic Ocean). Looking northwest, this image shows the dusty Saharan air mass in the lower third of the view, with clear air beyond a marked northeast-trending boundary. The dust is blowing west-southwest, parallel to the front, a common trajectory during northern winters. The width of the dust column was about 1800 kilometers, of which 200 kilometers only are seen here (right).