Commons:Featured picture candidates/File:Rub' al Khali (Arabian Empty Quarter) sand dunes imaged by Terra (EOS AM-1).jpg

File:Rub' al Khali (Arabian Empty Quarter) sand dunes imaged by Terra (EOS AM-1).jpg, featured

Voting period is over. Please don't add any new votes.Voting period ends on 3 Dec 2009 at 06:15:23 (UTC)
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Featured picture candidates/File:Rub' al Khali (Arabian Empty Quarter) sand dunes imaged by Terra (EOS AM-1).jpg Commons:Featured picture candidates/File:Rub' al Khali (Arabian Empty Quarter) sand dunes imaged by Terra (EOS AM-1).jpg

•  Info created by NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team - uploaded by Elipongo - nominated by Sarcastic ShockwaveLover -- Sarcastic ShockwaveLover (talk) 06:15, 24 November 2009 (UTC)
•  Comment Who knew sand could be so reflective?
•  Support -- Sarcastic ShockwaveLover (talk) 06:15, 24 November 2009 (UTC)
•  Support Fantastic view! -- George Chernilevsky ^talk 07:18, 24 November 2009 (UTC)
•  Support Great image, I had considered nominating it myself once. Observe that the "water" between the dunes is of course actually air. -- JovanCormac 07:35, 24 November 2009 (UTC)

Jovan, it is not a mirage. One cannot see a mirage looking down like that. Here's a good place to learn about mirages.What we are seeing here is rather an optical illusion I guess.--Mbz1 (talk) 18:25, 24 November 2009 (UTC)

It's an air reflection, similar to the phenomenon called a "Highway mirage", which is described in the article Mirage (even though it arguable doesn't fulfill the classical definition of Mirage being = Fata Morgana). -- JovanCormac 23:32, 24 November 2009 (UTC)

It is no air reflection! There are many little salt lakes between the dunes dry or filled with saltwater. Look a long time to the enlarged image: You can see, the salt lakes are lying in holes between the dunes. --Michael Gäbler (talk) 14:16, 25 November 2009 (UTC)

It might be that, it might also be the "Typical pale gravel plains" mentioned in the WP article on the en:Rub' al Khali. I do think I see reflections of clouds there, though. Strange that the NASA page doesn't explain the phenomenon. -- JovanCormac 15:50, 25 November 2009 (UTC)

This is a former river delta with brown yardangs between the small arms of the former river. The delta is now oversaltet and contains many little hypersaline lakes. --Michael Gäbler (talk) 23:29, 26 November 2009 (UTC)

• •  Question Why didn't you? Sarcastic ShockwaveLover (talk) 08:45, 24 November 2009 (UTC)
    • Don't quite remember. I think I nominated File:Oil platform P-51 (Brazil).jpg instead, and then forgot to nominated the Rub al Khali picture later. In fact, I only remembered when I saw this candidate. -- JovanCormac 08:56, 24 November 2009 (UTC)
•  Support --Kosiarz-PL 09:20, 24 November 2009 (UTC)
•  Support —kallerna™ 17:28, 24 November 2009 (UTC)
•  Support I wish I saw it in real life :) --Mbz1 (talk) 22:34, 24 November 2009 (UTC)
  •  Comment I'm not sure how you'd get back down though... Sarcastic ShockwaveLover (talk) 21:29, 24 November 2009 (UTC)
    • Well I meant I wish I were able to see it from above, let's say from ISS :)--Mbz1 (talk) 22:36, 24 November 2009 (UTC)
•  Support Lovely as an abstraction, too. Daniel Case (talk) 19:46, 24 November 2009 (UTC)
•  Support Wow. Durova (talk) 22:11, 24 November 2009 (UTC)
•  Support 99of9 (talk) 22:43, 24 November 2009 (UTC)
•  Support --Michael Gäbler (talk) 13:50, 25 November 2009 (UTC)
•  Support wow --Jklamo (talk) 02:05, 28 November 2009 (UTC)

Confirmed results:

Result: 11 support, 0 oppose, 0 neutral → featured. /George Chernilevsky ^talk 08:39, 29 November 2009 (UTC)

This image will be added to the FP gallery: Places/Satellite images