#58549
02/25/2002 2:55 PM
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Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 5,400
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 5,400 |
This came to me in the mail today.. with attached text.. Click here: http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/image/0011/earthlights_dmsp_big.jpg
The image is a panoramic view of the world from the new space station. It is a night photo with the lights clearly indicating the populated areas. You can scroll East-West and North-South. Note that Canada's population is almost exclusively along the U.S. border. Moving east to Europe, there is a high population concentration along the Mediterranean Coast. It's easy to spot London, Paris, Stockholm and Vienna. Check out the development of Israel compared to the rest of the Arab countries.
Note the Nile River and the rest of the "Dark Continent". After the Nile, the lights don't come on again until Johannesburg. Look at the Australian Outback and the Trans-Siberian Rail Route. Moving east, the most striking observation is the difference between North and South Korea. Note the density of Japan.
What a piece of photography. It is an absolutely awesome picture of the Earth taken from the Boeing built Space Station last November on a perfect night with no obscuring atmospheric conditions.
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#58550
02/25/2002 3:29 PM
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Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 1,156
old hand
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old hand
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 1,156 |
What a great picture! What I find most interesting is how clearly you can see the NH and SH icecaps. Their high albedo makes them visible, even during the night. I guess they reflect light from the moon. Wow! 
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#58551
02/25/2002 3:30 PM
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Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542 |
finally, a photo from space proving the earth is flat!!
-joe (somewhere the sun is shining?) bfstplk
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#58552
02/25/2002 5:16 PM
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Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 872
old hand
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old hand
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 872 |
WOW! How very succinct and dramatic. Thanks, Of.
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#58553
02/26/2002 3:09 AM
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Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 2,636
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 2,636 |
Gobsmacked and godsmacked I am [in awe-e]
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#58554
02/26/2002 4:09 AM
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Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 3,146
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 3,146 |
Interesting. I was hoping that it would show relatively intensities, but it doesn't. When I fly into a new country it always seems to be at night. I've divided the world's countries up into "high wattage" and "low wattage" countries. India and Pakistan are low wattage countries, for instance - the lights are dimmer. The US, Canada, UK, Singapore, Zild and Oz are high wattage. Stupid, I know, but ... !
The idiot also known as Capfka ...
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#58555
02/26/2002 8:09 AM
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Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 1,981
Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 1,981 |
Fascinating.
There is a bright forward leaning "S" towards the top of the UK. Working from the bottom are the big conurbations (west to east) of Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds working up the coast through the North East, past Newcastle and on to Edinburgh and Glasgow, the last part of the "S" goes up to Aberdeen (I think) before fading out into the North of Scotland. It makes me realise why the Scottish Highlands are such a lovely holiday destination - you really can see the sky from there.
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#58556
02/26/2002 12:29 PM
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Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 1,156
old hand
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old hand
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 1,156 |
I'm surprised at the size of the "glob" which is St. John's/Mount Pearl/Paradise (population of less than 200,000, total). You can see it on the picture on the easternmost part of Newfoundland (the Avalon peninsula). Instead of seeing just a circular dot for St. John's, which is what I expected, you can see the whole elongated shape of the three contiguous cities, and the surrounding towns along Conception Bay.
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#58557
02/26/2002 1:43 PM
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Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 866
old hand
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old hand
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 866 |
Can you see me waving? Towards the bottom left hand side of the world's biggest island. That's me right there!
Excellent oftroy!!
stales
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#58558
02/26/2002 2:45 PM
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Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 96
journeyman
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journeyman
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 96 |
Stales!!! you coulda had a shave, and for god's sake man , stand up straight!!!! :-)
the Duncster
the Duncster
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#58559
02/26/2002 3:03 PM
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Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 2,204
Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 2,204 |
Helen, that's a great picture - many thanks indeed!
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#58560
02/26/2002 5:21 PM
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Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 2,605
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 2,605 |
Helen, 'twas not just an excellent picture, 'twas an excellent site. On that site, http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ will give you the "Astronomy Picture of the Day", with a brief explanation. The pictures are from all over the cosmos and, browsing through the archives, some are strikingly beautiful. For similar night-views of the earth, including the site's write-up: http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap001127.html: entire earth on reduced scale; less detail but no scrolling needed http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010827.html: similar, but highlighting intensities Asia at night: http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap990728.htmlEurope: http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap990516.htmlUnited States: http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap000708.htmlI saw one of Australia, but cannot re-find it.
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#58561
02/26/2002 5:37 PM
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Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 1,773
Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 1,773 |
Wow, Helen. That's beautiful.
It looks like the continents got all dressed up in their best sequined ballgowns and diamond jewelry and are ready for the big dance.
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#58562
02/26/2002 5:47 PM
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Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 1,156
old hand
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old hand
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 1,156 |
ready for the big dance.
Which they sort of are, on million-year kinds of time scales.
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#58563
03/08/2002 2:02 AM
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Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 2,605
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 2,605 |
The day view is an interesting companion piece to Helen's lovely night view. It enlarges if you click on the picture, and once it's enlarged the detail in some areas, particularly Australia, is fascinating. http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap020305.html
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#58564
03/10/2002 9:59 PM
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Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 4,189
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 4,189 |
Breathtaking, Helen! Now I know how inaccurate my mental picture of the world's population centers, and sprawl, has been in many places. I'm also astonished to see as much open space Upunder! I knew the Outback encompassed a large part of the Australian continent, but I never realized the population was as condensed along the coast as it is. Wonderfully enlightening! Thanks!
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