News Obama's inauguration, a view from space

[SiberianTiger]

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-10146314-38.html

Can anyone spot himself?

GeoEye-1 took this satellite photo of the Mall during Barack Obama's inauguration ceremony. Click to see a larger image.
(Credit: GeoEye)

GeoEye-1 took this satellite photo of Barack Obama's inauguration ceremony. At left, crowd. At right, Capitol Building.
(Credit: GeoEye)

GeoEye-1 took this satellite photo of Barack Obama's inauguration ceremony. Note the shape of the crowd gathered around the large-screen TV in upper right.
(Credit: GeoEye)

 

[Hielor]

Note the shape of the crowd gathered around the large-screen TV in upper right.
(Credit: GeoEye)

What about the shape of the crowd?

 

[SiberianTiger]

What about the shape of the crowd?

I don't know: that was a quote from the original website.

 

[T.Neo]

Wow...
Satillite images like that continue to amaze me.

 

[EJ316]

What about the shape of the crowd?

I think you're just supposed to look at it, because it's interesting to see so many humans from space, I don't think there was anything fascinating about it.

Anyway, yeah the images are awesome.

 

[jedidia]

The whole picture more makes the impression of an anthill than of a human gathering...

 

[SiberianTiger]

The whole picture more makes the impression of an anthill than of a human gathering...

On the cosmic scale - we are just that, ants. And even the most powerful of us is little more than an ant queen...

 

[tblaxland]

What about the shape of the crowd?

Well, it at least makes me wonder: what function would describe that shape? Judging by the curve at the front of the crowd it is some optimisation function between the angular size and the angle of projection of the screen.

 

[Moonwalker]

On the cosmic scale - we are just that, ants. And even the most powerful of us is little more than an ant queen...

I'd say we're not even bacteria on the cosmic scale.

 

[Urwumpe]

I'd say we're not even bacteria on the cosmic scale.

We are star dust. And we should live in fear of the cosmic vacuum cleaner.

 

[Moonwalker]

We are star dust. And we should live in fear of the cosmic vacuum cleaner.

Absolutely. And when I watch and read stuff about some of the latest findings regarding the universe, it always amazes me that something like our beautiful Earth exists at all. It's almost a small miracle. And I'd say the chances that the cosmic vacuum cleaner kills us rather soon, might be more likely than some people might think.

 

[Urwumpe]

Absolutely. And when I watch and read stuff about some of the latest findings regarding the universe, it always amazes me that something like our beautiful Earth exists at all. It's almost a small miracle. And I'd say the chances that the cosmic vacuum cleaner kills us rather soon, might be more likely than some people might think.

I am not sure. I think really, that life is more common and more robust in the universe than just that. At least from a purely physical point of view, life is a desired state.

And seeing that life can be triggered in a relative wide range of conditions, the question which is more important in that context for me is: What can destroy life? One ant is easily killed, but can you destroy the biosphere of a whole planet easily?

 

[Artlav]

I never thought the roof of the Capitol Building is blue...
And that's not even people in the pictures - it's their shadows.

 

[Urwumpe]

I never thought the roof of the Capitol Building is blue...

It's not blue, it is copper-green. Like many buildings it has a copper plated roof.

 

[Eagle]

What about the shape of the crowd?

Those people are crowded in front of a big screen. If you notice they form a fan shape with the television to the right center of them. (you can see the big TV too). This pattern of people is repeated by the crowds on the National Mall too.

 

[AstroCam]

*sigh* I really look forward to the day when humans advance from a type 0.7 to a type 1 civillization... That, and when i can get a photorecon satellite of my very own...

Just a quick thought - has the Hubble space telescope ever been pointed at earth? Could it even focus? The images would be interesting at least.

 

[willy88]

Woah, Washington has been taken over by ants! Run for your lives!

Nevermind, it's just humans.

 

[Orbinaut Pete]

Come on guys, you must surely recognise this shape...
:rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl:


-----Post Added-----


I'm sorry, but I just couldn't help thinking of that

 

[Moonwalker]

Come on guys, you must surely recognise this shape...
:rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl:


-----Post Added-----


I'm sorry, but I just couldn't help thinking of that

L O L


-----Post Added-----

Just a quick thought - has the Hubble space telescope ever been pointed at earth? Could it even focus?

I don't think so. Even the Moon still is too close actually.

 

[Artlav]

Just a quick thought - has the Hubble space telescope ever been pointed at earth? Could it even focus? The images would be interesting at least.

It is being regularly pointed at it, if i remember right, to get a single-color blur for testing the mirror and camera integrity.

The telescope itself can't track the objects moving that fast, so it's pointless to use it as a spy sat (or so the government says). If it was, the resolution would have been something like 3 cm/pixel.