dumb newspaper journalists

[theshadowhost]

I hate this "can be seen from space" crap in news stories. It's not a lie to say this when it is from google maps, but it is misleading. I always took "can be seen from space" to be - you can see it with the naked eye from the international space station.

examples of this shit:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1077767/Pictured-The-giant-pink-rabbit-seen-space.html?ITO=1490
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article4894587.ece
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,23066110-1702,00.html
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article71168.ece
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article1267477.ece

[munchingfoo]

I think you are being a bit harsh on the algae one. It's bigger than cornwall and devon for goodness sake!

[Cain]

Yes, that is a bollocks story.

If you look at my house on Google Earth, you can see my mum's bright yellow fleece on the washing line.

The line "visible from space" isn't that impressive any more.

[David Bean]

Indeed - similarly if you can see a dog 'from space', no matter how big it is that pretty much proves that it's not a very impressive feat.

Far be it from me to suggest that 'OMG MY DOG IZ HUUUUUGE!!1' isn't much of a story without some nonsense like this to hang it on...

[Gubbins]

I always took "can be seen from space" to be - you can see it with the naked eye from the international space station.

I think that's a pretty good definition.

Incidentally, most of Google Earth's high-resolution data actually comes from aerial, not satellite, photography. Many of the things claimed to be visible from space really aren't, including, probably, the Great Wall of China.

[Freaker]

Incidentally, most of Google Earth's high-resolution data actually comes from aerial, not satellite, photography. Many of the things claimed to be visible from space really aren't, including, probably, the Great Wall of China.

The Chinese were indeed a little miffed when they succefully sent their first astronaut into space, but had to find out upon his return that the Great Wall of China was not actually one of the things he had been able to see from up there.

[Nickel]

It does seem like a bit of a crappy claim to say 'such and such can be seen from space with only the assistance of an orbiting telescope!'

It also leads to a new line of claims along the lines of 'My penis is so big it can be seen from space!'
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=N+Cedar+St+%26+Shaft+Rd,+Hazleton,+Luzerne,+Pennsylvania+18201,+United+States&ie=UTF8&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-a&ll=40.958021,-75.969853&spn=0.001051,0.001929&t=h&z=19&iwloc=addr&om=1

[orudge]

How appropriate that it should be by Shaft Rd.