Super Cool Shuttle Photo

rushlimbaugh.com ^ | 03/04/03 | Rush Limbaugh

[ALASKA]

"It's only a model."

[SMEDLEYBUTLER]

When was the Marianas Trench moved from the Pacific to the Atlantic?

[Young Werther]

There are no clouds! The apparant height of the camera is well above 10,000 miles. You don't see the sea bottom and the mid atlantic trench from space. The ocean surface would be choppy from the wind of which there is none.

It's cute. Kinda like the full earth composite that was published as a poster years ago. A National Geographic knock off?

[RadioAstronomer]

mid-Atlantic plate subduction zone.

The Mid Atlantic Ridge is a rifting process creating new ocean crust. It is not a subduction zone. The Pacific Plate is subducting under the North American Plate though.

From what I see, IMHO, this is not a real photo.

[Starwind]

The Mid Atlantic Ridge is a rifting process creating new ocean crust. It is not a subduction zone

Correct. Hasty work on my part.

[LiteKeeper]

bump

[Paleo Conservative]

Obviously fake. Henk

This picture is obviously from a much greater height -- like a geo-synch satellite at 22,300 miles. jlogajan

Looks weird to me as well. How can the shadow line have such a sudden curve to the right??? JoJo Gunn

Obviously not taken during the last Columbia trip in space

If the picture were taken from Columbia in January, why is Norway still experiencing daylight while areas due south are dark? January is in the middle of northern hemisphere's winter. More southerly lattitudes should have later sunsets and earlier sunrises than more northerly lattitudes. This photo had to be taken during the northern hemisphere's summer. Columbia was only up for 16 days. It could not possibly have taken this picture on its last trip to space.

[cd jones]

hope it's not fake, i just sent it to everyone i know. ;-)

[Pokey78]

You're probably right. Still, it's a cool photo/

Anyway, this is real. Notice the black hole that is North Korea:

[Hootch]

Where did ya get that secoind photo? That is very cool.

[Paleo Conservative]

The US could supply some light that is missing in North Korea!

[DuncanWaring]

Best of all, it shows the "sun setting on Europe".

[spunkets]

"this is not a real photo."

That explains all the snow in Africa.

[SeeRushToldU_So]

That is very cool. Thanks!

[mikegi]

It's a fake. Go to this website to generate similar images.

[aruanan]

Notice the poverty of North Korea.

[Starwind]

From what I see, IMHO, this is not a real photo.

Here's a shot of the ISS from the shuttle Discovery. Note the apparent altitude and scope of the view of the planet. There are photos of Hubble service missions with similar scope, but planet surface mostly obscurred by cloud cover. I can't identify the planet surface area, but this would lend credence that some shuttle missions and flight paths position it in a way to allow the photo Limbaugh has posted.

[Paleo Conservative]

"this is not a real photo."

That explains all the snow in Africa.

That's the Sahara Desert, not snow.

[Pokey78]

I do believe you solved it. Cool site.