WASHINGTON (AP) -- Science and art merge in a stunning new Smithsonian exhibition featuring planet Earth as seen from above.
Some of the satellite images show the home planet as only astronauts can see it, others taken with special instruments show things even they can't see.
There's a myth that the Great Wall of China is the only manmade object that can be seen from space, but that's not true, explains exhibit curator Andrew K. Johnston. And he proves it, pointing out satellite images of the Great Pyramids, downtown San Francisco, New Orleans while flooded by Hurricane Katrina, container ships in the harbor of Hamburg, Germany, and a nighttime view of the globe showing city lights. (boldface mine--Darren)
Johnston, a geographer at the National Air and Space Museum, organized the exhibit, which opens Saturday. It will remain at the Air and Space Museum until January 7 and then begin a tour of cities around the country.
Something I'd like to see.
The Great Wall myth is that the wall can be seen by the naked eye from the moon.
ReplyDeleteThe myth reveals a lack of critical-thinking (and/or understanding of optics) among its believers. The length of an object cannot make it visible from a distance. A single strand of long blonde hair cannot be seen from across the room. The hair may be three feet long and the room only 30 feet deep. Nonetheless, the hair is invisible from that distance.
A wall could be made to span the entire length of the Asian continent and remain invisible to the naked eye from space.
If it is to be seen, it must be great in two dimensions, not just one. The wall may continue many miles in length, but it is not even one mile in width.
Anyway, the myth has been Snoped.