As Seen on Satellite: Natural Oddities
By Mhairi, Science relief Contributor
The world - it's full of natural wonders.
But where are they? Read on to find out…
Relative to the history of the earth, you
can trace the history of modern technology in the blink of an eye. Many of the
things we rely on - computers, mobile phones, televisions - and things we don't
know we rely on - like satellites and wires that span the length of the ocean –
haven't even been around for a century. While these advances have dramatically
improved our quality of life, they've also helped make the globe our
playground.
Today it's possible for the average person
to travel away from home and connect with communities around the world. What's
more, modern technology is also helping us to uncover and learn about the
planet we live on. We can dive into the ocean and study marine life, take
samples from Mars, and better understand the civilisations that came before us.
Satellite services have captured images of some of the more interesting sites around the world we might otherwise never have known about - read on for five of our favourites…
1. The Man-shaped lake
This synthetic wonder can be found in
Bauru, Brazil - but it's only when you see the lake from above that you really
get a feel for its shape. It's a man-made, man-shaped lake. Fancy a swim?
2. Costa Concordia near the island of Giglio
 |
| View of the stricken cruise ship which ran aground and capsized near the island of Giglio in Italy on 13 January. The image was taken on 17 January. |
When the Costa Concordia ran aground off
the coast of Italy it made international headlines, and for weeks images of the
gargantuan ship turned on its side were photographed from the shore. It wasn’t
until a little later that Satellite images captured the full ship after it
capsized and people really started to appreciate just how big the boat
was.
3. Chateau de Versailles
The royal chateau has been one of the most
significant landmarks in France since 1632 - today the grand palace and grounds
attract visitors from all over the world. But from up above, you can't help but
notice how the elegant former home of Louis XIV looks slightly different from
up above, where the gardens make out the face and body of a toy-like figure.
4. The Badlands Guardian
Canada is known for its natural landscapes,
so it's no surprise the next wonder on our list can be found in Alberta. Dubbed
"the Badlands Gaurdian", the image hidden away in the hills closely
resembles a human wearing a Native American headdress - complete with
headphones!
5. Giant Gulliver, hunters hall park Craigmillar Scotland
In Scotland, Gulliver's travels are getting
another chapter - tucked away in Hunters Hall Park, this public art sculpture
is best appreciated overhead. It was designed in 1976 by prison inmate Jimmy
Boyle, and constructed by unemployed adults and youth and is a testament to the
area's community regeneration project.
Have
you noticed any natural oddities?
Posted by Unknown
on Thursday, April 11, 2013.
Filed under
feature,
gallery,
Guest Post,
Science Articles,
Space and Time
.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0