Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Photo ID P-47122
July 25, 1996
This spaceborne radar image shows the city of Phnom Penh,
the capital of Cambodia. Phnom Penh lies at the confluence
of the Mekong River and the Basak Sab. The city was originally established
in 1434 to succeed Angkor Thom as capital of the Khmer Nation.
Phnom Penh is the bright blue and orange area west of the rivers,
near the center of the image. The red, light blue and purple
colors indicate differences in vegetation height and structure.
Radar images like this one are being used by archaeologists
to investigate ruins in the Angkor area in northern Cambodia.
This image was acquired by Spaceborne Imaging Radar-C/X-Band
Synthetic Aperture Radar (SIR-C/X-SAR) onboard the space
shuttle Endeavour on April 15, 1994. The image is 27 kilometers
by 27 kilometers (17 miles by 17 miles) and is centered
at 11.5 degrees North latitude, 105.0 degrees East longitude.
North is toward the upper right. The colors are assigned to
different radar fequencies and polarizations of the
radar as follows: red is L-band, horizontally transmitted
and received; green is L-band, horizontally transmitted
and vertically received; and blue is C-band, horizontally
transmitted and vertically received. SIR-C/X-SAR, a joint
mission of the German, Italian, and United States
space agencies, is part of NASA's Mission to Planet Earth.
![[PHNOM PENH, CAMBODIA]](PHNOMPEN.GIF)