What's
really visible from 'space' - December
30, 2003
Nils points out this link: ...this clears up some misconceptions,
but unfortunately won't bring an end to that overused and
silly expression perpetuated by the media: "so big it
can be seen from space" From where in space? Using what
equipment?
I think you once mentioned the Palm Islands in the UAE on
2B. Usually in such a project, the developers and/or media
will scream out in their ignorance and sensationalism: "it's
soooo huge it can be seen from space (like only the Chinese
Wall before)", and the general public is very much impressed.
But nonsense. What does this less than exact expression want
to tell us, anyway? First of all, where is "in space"?
On a satellite, space station, the moon? OK, let's assume
an orbit around the earth, maybe 400-700 km high. Then of
course many more man-made features than the Chinese Wall can
be seen, even more so when you have a binocular, a tele lens
or the sophisticated scanner system of an earth observation
satellite (we are talking about resolutions down to the range
of 10s of centimeters here!). But even with the NAKED EYE
you can detect surprising details, as described in the before-mentioned
article.
What’s really visible from ‘space’
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