Welcome to
Views of New Jersey
Astronaut Photographs of the Garden State

Background

The diverse characteristics of New Jersey are nicely captured in photographs taken by astronauts from space. Since the 1960s, NASA astronauts have been taking aim at New Jersey and other locations around the globe. Today, NASA astronauts continue to monitor changes to the landscape from the NASA Space Shuttle and the International Space Station. Because the majority of photographs were taken on Shuttle missions, they are usually called Shuttle Photos.

Goals

This website is meant to serve as an educational tool to supplement laboratory studies in a variety of disciplines, including air photo interpretation, physical geography, geology, ecology, and biology. Because of the nature of these photographs, this site will also serve as a outreach project to introduce the general public to NASA Shuttle Photography over New Jersey.

New Jersey Facts

New Jersey is home to over 8.5 million people. With an average of 1,103 people per square mile, it is the most densely populated state in the nation. In terms of overall population, New Jersey ranks 9th. The per capita income in the state is among the highest in the nation. A variety of economic, cultural, and recreational activities take place in the state among its ethnically diverse population. Complementing the variety and richness of the people in New Jersey is its physical geography. Four distinct physiographic provinces cross the state, each characterized by different geology, vegetation, and wildlife. From south to north, they are the Coastal Plain, Piedmont, Highlands, and Valley & Ridge. New Jersey is also home to a number of unique landscapes, including the Appalacian Mountains, the Great Swamp, the Pinelands, and the Jersey shore. Shuttle photographs nicely capture this diversity.

Organization of Website

This site is organized around two themes: (1) Photographs of New Jersey taken from space and (2) Astronauts affiliated with the Garden State. Photographs associated with the first theme are organized under the Views of New Jersey page. These are arranged by theme:                     Top 15 Photographs of New Jersey (Top 15)                     The Big Picture - Panoramic Views (Panoramic)                     The Dynamic Atmosphere - Clouds, Contrails, and Storms (Clouds)                     The Colors of New Jersey - Seasonal Variations (Seasons)                     Close-up Views - Details around the State (Close-up)                     The Magic of Low Light - Sunglint (Sunglint) Photographs associated with the second theme are organized under the Astronaut Links page. These are arranged by theme:                     Astronauts of New Jersey - Past, Present, and Future (Astronauts of NJ)                     A Rutgers Alumnus in Space - Mario Runco, Mission Specialist (Rutgers Astronaut) Links to supplemental material that will assist you in understanding what you see in the photographs are also included. Detailed background information on Shuttle Photography, image interpretation, and locating Shuttle Photography on the web can be found in the Shuttle Photography Basics page. This page also has links to geography quizzes, geomorphology references, and related imagery sites. A list of suggested exercises for the classroom or laboratory can be found in the Exercises page. Each exercise on this page is based on features observed in selected photographs.

Questions?

Please refer to The Photography section of the Shuttle Photography Basics page for answers to questions you may have about this photography. For questions about the proper usage of these photographs, please see our Disclaimer/Rules of Usage page.

Credits

All imagery courtesy of Earth Sciences and Image Analysis Laboratory, NASA Johnson Space Center, unless noted otherwise. Website created by David Gwynn, Grant F. Walton Center for Remote Sensing and Spatial Analysis (CRSSA), Cook College, Rutgers University. Selected graphics by John Bognar, CRSSA.