STS099-727-045 (11-22 February 2000) ---One of the astronauts aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour for the STS-99 mission recorded this 70mm image of Long Island, New York. The entire length of Long Island is visible in partial sunglint from Lower Bay to Block Island Sound. According to geologists, the origin and shape of Long Island are due to continental collision and glaciers that once dominated the landscape. A collision between North America and Africa about 300 million years ago caused the Appalachian Mountains to rise, they say. Streams carried sediment from the eroding Appalachians and also carved a valley that would one day become Long Island Sound. The scientists went on to say that retreating ice sheets 22,000 years ago allowed the land to rebound with the highest points becoming Long Island.