Mount Fuji from space - Earth.com Mount Fuji from space

Mount Fuji from space

01-06-2020


Mount Fuji from space Today’s Video of the Day from the European Space Agency features Japan’s highest mountain, Mount Fuji, from space. 

The mountain is a product of the subduction zone that straddles Japan, and many generations of volcanic activity have made it what it is today. 

Around 300,000 people climb Mount Fuji every year, and several hiking trails can be seen leading to the base of the mountain in this photo. The city of Fujinomiya is the traditional starting point for hikers.

Mount Fuji is one of Japan’s most striking symbols, and tourism in the area is highly developed. The switchbacks of a climbing toll road can be seen clearly on the upper center margin of the image. As a satisfyingly symmetrical peak, Fuji is extensively photographed. As the highest peak in Japan (3776 meters or 12,389 feet), it is visible from great distances with a brilliant snow cap for many months of the year. Mount Fuji has great cultural importance in Japan as a hallowed mountain in the Shinto religion.

Mount Fuji from space as seen above in the video shows  From orbit, even the highest mountains can look flat if the astronaut looks straight down and if the sun is high. And a strange sensation for humans who know mountains from a ground-level standpoint. Mount Fuji is now a UNESCO World Heritage Cultural Site. 

By Chrissy Sexton, Earth.com Staff Writer

Video Credit: European Space Agency

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