NASA published a photograph taken of the Grand Canyon by astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS).
The image was taken by the Expedition 39 Crew in late March, according to CNET.
The crew used a Nikon D3S digital camera with a 180mm lens. The image was slightly edited to improve the contrast and take lens artifacts out of the photo.
The canyon's North and South Rims can be seen on either side of the canyon, Yahoo! News reported.
The National Park Service said the South Rim hosts almost 90 percent of the canyon's 5 million visitors each year, and averages about 7,000 feet in elevation. The North Rim is about 1,000 feet higher than the South Rim, and roads to the North Rim are closed from October to May every year.
The shadow in the image appears as shade and lifts the canyon into a ridge, which makes the canyon appear inside out, Seattle Post-Intelligencer reported.
"The Grand Canyon in northern Arizona is a favorite for astronauts shooting photos from the International Space Station, as well as one of the best-known tourist attractions in the world," NASA said. "The steep walls of the Colorado River canyon and its many side canyons make an intricate landscape that contrasts with the dark green, forested plateau to the north and south."
The Grand Canyon plunges a mile between the two rims through layers of sandstone, schist and limestone. The 227-river-mile canyon was carved by the Colorado River over millions of years after it changed courses, Yahoo! News reported.
Researchers have debated the amount of time it took to carve the canyon, which, as it is currently, is 6 million years old. Some claim that the canyon is "young", while others point out areas of the canyon that date back 70 million years.
Some researchers say these areas show evidence of the canyon's origin, while others say they were carved out long ago and the Colorado River found and flowed into them, and others say they represent origin of today's canyon, Yahoo! News reported.
The image of the Grand Canyon will be available for people back on Earth to look at for free on April 19 and 20 for National Park Week.
