Around the World in 80 Seconds

Posted by Greg at 13:04, 19 Sep 2011

Care to fly around the Earth, as seen from the International Space Station?

This short timelapse video was created by science educator James Drake from a series of 600 photographs available online at NASA's Gateway to Astronaut Photography of the Earth, and features spectacular views of city lights at night, lightning from storms, the thin line of Earth's ionosphere, and sunrise from space. Wow.

Note that, despite the title of this post, this is not a 'normal speed' view from the International Space Station. Even at its velocity of approximately 28,000km/hr, the ISS takes roughly 90 minutes to do a full orbit of the Earth (around 43,000km at its orbital height).

By the way, if you want to surprise yourself, find a globe and measure 350km on the ground, then stand it up vertically. That's the height the ISS orbits at...you'll find it's barely what you'd call 'space', it really just skims the globe.

(h/t Universe Today)

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Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego
#1
Guiderman's picture
Member since:
1 May 2004
Last activity:
26 weeks 1 day
Posted by Guiderman on 20 Sep 2011 at about 14:08.

Any idea of which parts of earth are visible in the video?

Flying over my turf!
#2
red pill junkie's picture
Member since:
12 April 2007
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29 min 17 sec
Posted by red pill junkie on 20 Sep 2011 at about 19:51.

A time-lapse taken from the front of the International Space Station as it orbits our planet at night. This movie begins over the Pacific Ocean and continues over North and South America before entering daylight near Antarctica. Visible cities, countries and landmarks include (in order) Vancouver Island, Victoria, Vancouver, Seattle, Portland, San Fransisco, Los Angeles. Phoenix. Multiple cities in Texas, New Mexico and Mexico. Mexico City, the Gulf of Mexico, the Yucatan Peninsula, Lightning in the Pacific Ocean, Guatemala, Panama, Columbia, Ecuador, Peru, Chile, and the Amazon. Also visible is the Earths ionosphere (thin yellow line) and the stars of our galaxy.

[Via Infinity Imagined"]

I think Mexico city is seen at 00:28 :)

—

It's not the depth of the rabbit hole that bugs me...
It's all the rabbit SH*T you stumble over on your way down!!!

Red Pill Junkie