Nothing really, just think this is a cool shot

[EagleFan]

http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA04361

[KWhit]

I can see my house from here.

[Hurst2112]

I agree...very cool. I downloaded the hi res pic. You can zoom in pretty good.

If I am reading this right, this is an actual picture (or set of photos) of what north america would look if there wasn't cloud cover?

Without me looking it up, what is that island in the atlantic....east of Georgia?

[Suicane75]

Has anyone ever seen that episode of the West Wing when the cartographers try and convince the white house to change the map so that it's more realistic?
Is that just "TV" or is that a real thing IE: the earth doesn't really appear as the standardly used maps show it to appear.

[Hurst2112]

I watched something about this. I think the take of this tv show was that maps (10 years ago, when it was on), particularly older maps always seemed to show things like alaska smaller than texas. It was explained that if you were looking at a globe at the equater, the image that was put in text books was usually still that perspective, (alaska would be further away cause it is on the upper edge of a sphere) even when it was in a book and not on a globe. Kinda hard to explain in writing, but I think it's close to what you are talking about.

[Yossarian]

standard maps shrink things vertically. for example africa is MUCH longer (up and downtheways) than it looks on 'standard' maps

[3ric]

standard maps shrink things vertically. for example africa is MUCH longer (up and downtheways) than it looks on 'standard' maps
The "standard" map is usually the Mercator projection, which shows areas close to the poles as much bigger than they really are.
http://geography.about.com/library/misc/mercator.jpg

The "modern" way, a.k.a. the Peters projection:
http://geography.about.com/library/misc/peters.jpg


http://geography.about.com/library/weekly/aa030201a.htm

[RPI-Fan]

Without me looking it up, what is that island in the atlantic....east of Georgia?

Bermuda?

[Hurst2112]

The "standard" map is usually the Mercator projection, which shows areas close to the poles as much bigger than they really are.
http://geography.about.com/library/misc/mercator.jpg

The "modern" way, a.k.a. the Peters projection:
http://geography.about.com/library/misc/peters.jpg


http://geography.about.com/library/weekly/aa030201a.htm

That's what I was getting at. I had my info reversed. I knew there was 1 way, and another way. Thanks.

Bermuda...maybe. I am compelled to check now.

[RPI-Fan]

I don't know if there's a second island you're referring to - but the one about 1,000+ miles off the coast is Bermuda.

[Hurst2112]

that's it then. The 1 i was referring to was pretty obvious in the picture (initial post). I always thought Bermuda was futher south.

[sterlingice]

Has anyone ever seen that episode of the West Wing when the cartographers try and convince the white house to change the map so that it's more realistic?
Is that just "TV" or is that a real thing IE: the earth doesn't really appear as the standardly used maps show it to appear.
Not only that, but didn't they want to switch the Southern and Nothern Hemispheres because of geographical bias?

SI