Annapurna and Dhaulagiri from the International Space Station - annotated

An unusual view of the Annapurna massif, plus Dhaulagiri!

This is a stunning view of the Annapurna massif taken from the ISS - the International Space Station. The mean altitude of the ISS orbit is 225 mi/362 km. This view is from the north east, and it's a view of the Annapurna massif I've never seen before. I found this NASA image on the internet, and once again got interested in naming as many of the major peaks as I could. I have also tried to include some famous historical geographic features, even if they're not peaks!

NASA does not copyright most of their pictures, go HERE to see NASA's official picture usage permission statement.

I was surprised during my research - I originally thought Annapurna South was Annapurna I, but I couldn't figure out what the ridge immediately to the north of the peak was. A quick jaunt to GoogleEarth straightened me out, however. Note that, because of the perspective angle, more distant peaks like Macchhapuchhre look like they're taller than closer peaks, like Annapurna III. This is really a trick of the very unusual perspective, however.

Like the annotated version of Snowflake's Cho Oyu panorama that I posted recently, I again found out that there are conflicting names and elevations for some of the peaks I've ID'ed. I have tried my best to be accurate, and I take full responsibility for any mistakes. The Chulu peaks, in particular, are rather uncertain in name and altitude.

Regardless, I hope everyone enjoys this unusual shot of a familiar and famous area.

Peace,

Big Lew