![]() Anderson, took the first photograph from a high-altitude balloon, clearly showing the Earth’s curvature. Army Air Corps and the National Geographic Society, Capt. Stand in front of the Explorer II balloon gondola. Left: Photograph of South Dakota taken during the record-setting Explorer II balloon flight, showing the curvature of the Earth. The Earth’s curvature is also visible laterally in the photograph, although the effect is subtle as the image encompasses only 1/360 of the Earth’s circumference. The Earth’s curvature explains this phenomenon, as described in the diagram accompanying the photograph. The Andes Mountains, 287 miles away, and although taller than the plane’s altitude, lay below the sensible horizon, marked by the white horizontal line in the photograph. 30, 1930, while flying at an altitude of 21,000 feet over Villa Mercedes, Argentina. Army Air Corps and an aerial photographer, took the image on Dec. The diagram describes that the Andes Mountains are visible below the expected horizon due to the Earth’s curvature.Ĭredits: The National Geographic Society.Īn article in the May 1931 issue of The National Geographic Magazine described how a photograph taken from an airplane east of the Andes mountain range in South America provided evidence for the Earth’s curvature. “A diagram illustrating the curvature of the Earth, as shown in the photograph,” read the original caption in the May 1931 issue of The National Geographic Magazine. Credits: The National Geographic Society. The photograph, taken 21,000 feet above Villa Mercedes, Argentina, showed the Andes Mountains 287 miles away and well below the expected “The first photograph ever made showing laterally the curvature of the Earth,” read the original caption in the May 1931 issue of The National Geographic Magazine. Through these images, we gained a better understanding of Earth’s, and therefore of our own, place in the universe. ![]() With sounding rockets and then spacecraft returning photographs from ever-greater distances from the planet, we could begin to see the Earth first as a full disk, then as a smaller and smaller blue oasis against the emptiness of space. With the advent of aviation, photographers could reach altitudes from which they could record the Earth’s curvature. ![]() The ancient Greeks believed the Earth was round and calculated its circumference with remarkable accuracy, while observers inferred our planet’s spherical shape as it cast a curved shadow on the Moon during lunar eclipses. Indirect evidence of the Earth’s spherical shape has existed for a long time, but the photographic proof was lacking until well into the 20th century. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |