Friday, September 24, 2010

Google Earth

If you have stopped by here a time or two you will quickly notice that I am not science boy. Whatever scientific interests I may have came when I was long out of school. I haven't the skills, the math or the vocabulary to have more than a passing interest. I do have, by marriage, a very good astrophysicist in the family, who I'll use as my lifeline, if I'm ever a game show contestant.

That said, some things just fascinate me. I can spend hours on a treadmill wondering how did anyone ever figure that out, or how did anyone understand enough to ask the questions which led to that.

Google Earth does it to me too. The vastness of space as seen through Microsoft's World Wide Telescope visualizes interplanetary distances in a way I never thought possible.

This morning I came across Google Earth's blog and it appears life as I knew it may come to a crashing halt. I've found my ultimate time sink. Thanks to my old Air Force job tracking things in the sky, I was sucked in by a map, updated every 30 seconds, which shows where all 13,000 satellites are located. follow the link for a better view which also allows you to click on each satellite to determine its identity.

Or, just watch.



Clearly, I'm easily amused.

Toad

3 comments:

James said...

13,000! I never realized there were so many. No wiz kid either all I can think is how does the shuttle keep from plowing into them?

Suburban Princess said...

Wow! Very cool! Hubby loves google earth so I better not show him this or I will never get the basement renovated!

Patsy said...

We have come a very long way since Telestar!