Several applications can be used to monitor the Earth's surface and view satellite images online for free. In Russia, the most popular are two of them: Google Maps and Yandex Maps. Both services boast good quality high-resolution satellite imagery for most countries.

Yandex Maps is an online application from Russian developers, so the cities of Russia are more accurately worked out in it. It has built-in functionality for viewing traffic load data (large settlements), demographic and geodata. Google maps contain no less high-quality satellite images of the territory of the Russian Federation, but data on land plots and traffic are available only for the United States.

View a map of Planet Earth from the satellite online

Below you can see the built-in map from Google. For more stable operation of the plugin, we recommend using a browser Google chrome... If you see an error message, please update the specified plugin and then reload the page.

Watch Google Earth from satellite, in real time online:

Another advantage of Google Maps is the presence of a client application for working with satellite images. This means that the service can be accessed not only through a browser, but also through a pre-downloaded program. It has much more opportunities for viewing and studying satellite images, working with a three-dimensional virtual globe.

3D satellite map from Google (downloadable app, not online version) allows:

• use quick search necessary objects by name or coordinates;
• take screenshots and record videos High Quality;
• work offline (preliminary synchronization via the Internet is required);
• use a flight simulator for more convenient movement between objects;
• save "favorite places" to quickly move between them;
• view not only the Earth's surface, but also pictures of other celestial bodies (Mars, Moon, etc.).

You can work with Google satellite maps through a client application or a browser. A plug-in is available on the official page of the program that allows you to use an interactive map on any web resource. It is enough to embed its address into the program code of the site. For display, you can select both the entire surface and a specific area (you will have to enter coordinates). Control - using a computer mouse and keyboard (ctrl + mouse wheel to zoom, cursor to move) or using the icons marked on the map ("plus" - zoom in, "minus" - zoom out, move with the cursor).

Google Earth's service in real time allows you to work with several types of maps, each of which reflects certain data on satellite images. It is convenient to switch between them "without losing progress" (the program remembers where you "were"). Available view modes:

• satellite landscape map (geographic objects, features of the Earth's surface);
• physical map (detailed satellite images of the surface, cities, streets, their names);
• schematic geographic map for a more accurate study of surface imagery.

The satellite image is automatically uploaded at the approaching location, so it requires stable internet compound. For Google Earth to work offline, you need to download an application for Windows or another operating system... For its operation, the Internet is also required, but only for the first launch, after which the program synchronizes all the necessary data (satellite images of the surface, 3D models of buildings, names of geographical and other objects) after which it will be possible to work with the received data without direct access to the Internet.

If an unusual incident happened to you, you saw a strange creature or an incomprehensible phenomenon, you had an unusual dream, you saw a UFO in the sky or became a victim of an alien abduction, you can send us your story and it will be published on our website ===> .

If in google program Earth enter the following coordinates 75 ° 0 "46.98" S ​​0 ° 4 "52.71" E, then on the territory of Antarctica you will see absolutely incredible objects that can hardly be called natural formations.

All these objects are in a row on one straight line, almost 2 km long, in the middle of a completely naked and clean space without rocks and stones, and look like a kind of structure with an exit to the surface.

At maximum magnification, you can see that each of the objects is somewhat different from the other (a different pattern of the snow surface), then this is 100% not a technical failure of the map, when one object was accidentally copied and multiplied.

The big question is black spots. This is, as many netizens assume, nothing more than the entrances to the underground bunkers of a secret alien city.

Another issue is the red glow, which can only be seen on a few objects. If these are some kind of signal lights, then for whom?

One of the most realistic versions put forward by users indicates that the photo most likely includes the Antarctic German Kohnen-Station, opened in 2001, still operating and designed for 20 people. The official coordinates of the base are indeed very close to the coordinates of the strange line.

However, the objects in Google Earth are completely different from the objects of this station, which can be found on images on the Internet. There is nothing close to a long line of buildings, since the Kohnen-Station consists of only one rectangular block.

In Google Earth images, a single black rectangular object can be found northeast of the strange object line. This is the German station (circled in red in the image below).

So the mystery of the strange objects still remains unsolved. The description of the German station says nothing about them, although they are very close to the station itself.

From the official description of the Kohnen-Station: radio room, dining room, kitchen, bathroom, two bedrooms, snow melter, shop, workshop and mini power station. There is nothing in the description about a line of objects stretched for almost 2 km and each of which is about 100 meters in length.

It becomes even more interesting after taking a picture of the same place from 2013 (there are no earlier pictures). It shows that numerous transport tracks have been laid from the German base to the line of strange objects. And these objects were then not so heavily covered with snow.

Some kind of active work was clearly underway. Something was taken out from the station to the facilities or from the facilities to the station.

What were the Germans doing there in those years? Perhaps much more than studying Antarctica.

Unbelievable facts about the world's largest desert

The overwhelming majority of people, when answering the question about the world's largest desert, call the Sahara and turn out to be wrong. The correct answer is that Antarctica is the fifth largest continent on our planet with an area of ​​more than 14 million square kilometers and at the same time the least studied and mysterious of all seven continents. For many years, scientists have been wondering what is hidden under the ice of Antarctica, exploring the flora and fauna of the continent. In our review of 10 little-known facts about the southernmost and coldest desert on Earth.

Antarctica does not undergo surgery

Those who have not removed their wisdom teeth and appendix are not allowed into Antarctica. This is due to the fact that surgical operations are not performed at stations in Antarctica, therefore, before traveling to the icy continent, you need to remove your wisdom teeth and appendix, even if they are absolutely healthy.

2. McMurdo Dry Valleys

Antarctica is the driest place in the world

Antarctica is the driest place in the world. To be more precise, here is the driest place on the planet - the McMurdo Dry Valleys.

3. Your own top-level domain

Like many countries (Australia, .au, Germany, .de), Antarctica has its own top-level domain - .aq

4. Palm trees in Antarctica

Palm trees grew in Antarctica 53 million years ago

53 million years ago, Antarctica was so warm that palm trees grew along its shores. Temperatures on the continent rose above 20 degrees Celsius.

5. Metallica in Antarctica

Freeze ‘Em All

Metallica played a 2013 gig in Antarctica called Freeze ‘Em All, thus becoming the first band to perform on all continents. Also noteworthy, the group visited all seven continents in one year.

6. Own nuclear power plant

Nuclear power plant in Antarctica

Antarctica had its own nuclear power plant. She worked at the American McMurdo station (the largest on the mainland) from 1960 to 1972.

7. Fire department

There is a fire station in Antarctica

There is a fire station in Antarctica. It is located at McMurdo Station and is staffed by professional firefighters.

8.1150 species of mushrooms

1150 species of mushrooms in Antarctica

Despite the extremely low temperatures, there are 1,150 different types of mushrooms in Antarctica. They are perfectly adapted to low temperatures as well as continuous freeze-thaw cycles.

9. Time zones of the planet

The boundaries of all time zones converge to one point

Antarctica has virtually every time zone on the planet. This is due to the fact that the boundaries of all time zones converge to one point at both poles.

10. Polar bears

There are no polar bears in Antarctica

There are no polar bears in Antarctica. They can be seen in the Arctic or Canada.

11. The southernmost bar in the world

There's a bar in Antarctica

There is even a bar in Antarctica - the southernmost bar in the world. It is located at the research station "Akademik Vernadsky", which belongs to Ukraine.

12. Minus 89.2 degrees Celsius

Minus 128.56 degrees Fahrenheit

The lowest temperature ever on Earth was minus 128.56 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 89.2 degrees Celsius). It was registered on July 21, 1983 at the Russian Vostok station in Antarctica.

13. Fifth largest continent

14 million square kilometers

Antarctica is the fifth largest continent. Its area is 14 million square kilometers.

14.99% of Antarctica is covered in ice

Ice sheet of Antarctica

99% of Antarctica is covered with ice. The glacier covering the continent is often referred to as the ice sheet.

15.70% of the Earth's fresh water

70% of the Earth's fresh water

The average thickness of Antarctic ice is about 1.6 kilometers. Therefore, Antarctica contains approximately 70% of all fresh water on Earth.

16. Transantarctic Mountains

Mountain range 3500 km long

The Transantarctic Mountains divide the entire continent into eastern and western parts. It is one of the longest mountain ranges in the world (3500 km).

17. Antarctica was spotted in 1820

Antarctica was discovered in 1820

The existence of Antarctica was completely unknown until the continent was first noticed in 1820. People used to think it was just a group of islands.

18. Roald Amundsen

Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen

The Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen became the first person to reach the South Pole on December 14, 1911, and plant his country's flag on it.

19. "Antarctic Treaty"

Antarctic Treaty signed by 48 countries

After secret negotiations, twelve countries signed the Antarctic Treaty in 1959 to devote the continent exclusively to peaceful scientific research. Today, 48 countries have already signed the agreement.

20. Emilio Marco Palma

The first child of the Southern continent

In January 1979, Emilio Marco Palma became the first child born on the southern continent. This was a planned action by Argentina, which claimed a part of Antarctica and specially sent a pregnant woman there.

Antarctic,
The webcam shows the receiving station in Antarctica (GARS). Nice views of the ocean, icebergs and a hefty antenna. The picture is updated every 30 minutes.

Antarctic,
The webcam is installed at the Antarctic station GARS O "Higgins in Antarctica. The camera shows a colony of penguins. The picture is updated via satellite every 15 minutes.

Last online check:

Antarctic,
Live webcam at Devis station in Antarctica installed by Australian Antarctic Division. Updated every 10 minutes. The picture contains information about the current weather conditions.

Antarctic,
The webcam at the Mawson station in Antarctica is installed by the Australian Antarctic Division. The picture is updated every 10 minutes. The picture contains information about the current weather conditions.

Time zone: GMT. Broadcast quality: video 360p
Last online check: (webcam is online)

Antarctic,
Australian Antarctic Division live webcam at Casey Arctic Station in Antarctica. The picture is updated every 10 minutes. The picture contains information about the current weather conditions.

Time zone: GMT. Broadcast quality: photo 360p
Last online check: (webcam is online)

Antarctic,
The webcam is installed at the polar Antarctic station GARS O "Higgins in Antarctica. The camera shows a view of the antenna, the ocean, icebergs passing by and a colony of penguins. The picture is updated via satellite every 15 minutes.

Time zone: GMT. Broadcast quality: photo 480p.
Last online check: (webcam is online)

Antarctic,
Webcam at Macquarie Island station in Antarctica installed by Australian Antarctic Division. The picture is updated every 10 minutes. The picture contains information about the current weather conditions.

Time zone: GMT. Broadcast quality: photo 360p
Last online check: (webcam is online)

Antarctic,
The webcam shows a large antenna at the receiving station in Antarctica (GARS). The picture is updated every 30 minutes.

Time zone: GMT. Broadcast quality: photo 720p.
Last online check: two weeks ago (camera is online)

Antarctic,
The webcam is installed on the Arctic research vessel "James Clark Ross". Basically, it is directed along the course of the ship, but sometimes its direction is changed to show something interesting. ...
Some online video surveillance web cameras can be watched with sound. When watching, keep in mind the fact that the sound in the broadcast can be turned on by default.

#Antarctica, #webcams

Antarctica is not much different from Mars. Is that more oxygen. And the cold is the same. In some places the temperature drops to minus 90 degrees Celsius. There is only one fundamental difference - there are people in Antarctica, but not on Mars yet. But this does not mean that the ice continent has been studied much better than the Red Planet. There are enough riddles here and there ...

We don't know if there is life on Mars. We do not know what is hidden under the many kilometers of Antarctic ice. And there is only a vague idea of ​​what is happening on its surface.

Surprisingly, there are more high-resolution images of Mars than Antarctica. It is possible to examine in detail the details of its relief only on a narrow strip in the area of ​​Queen Mary Land, where surprises were found. And it would not be bad to look at other places. Especially those about which legends have been circulating for a long time.

THREE RIDDLES

The discovery belongs to Joseph Skipper, a renowned virtual archaeologist from the United States. He usually "digs" on Mars and on the Moon, examining photographs transmitted from there by spacecraft and posted on the official websites of NASA and other space agencies. He finds a lot of surprising things that abruptly fall out of traditional perceptions.

The researcher's collection contains objects that look like humanoid bones and skulls. And those that (with a stretch, of course) can be mistaken for the remains of their - humanoids - civilized activities.

This time, the archaeologist became interested in the Earth - specifically Antarctica. And I found three oddities there at once - a hole, a "plate" and lakes.

I followed in Skipper's footsteps and found all the objects he found. Their coordinates are known, they are clearly visible on satellite images of the ice continent, posted on the Google Earth website.

Coordinates:
Stroke: 99o43'11, 28'E; 66o36'12, 36'S
"Lake": 100o47'51.16''E; 66o18'07,15'S
Flying saucer 99o58'54.44''E; 66o30'02.22'S

2

The "hole" opened by Joseph Skipper

According to Skipper, there is an entire underground city on the ice continent. And the proof of this are lakes with liquid water among the ice of Antarctica, as well as a huge "Hod" located on the ice continent. But who could have built all this in the terrible cold? The answer to this question, according to Skipper, is given by his third find - a huge "plate", which may belong to aliens.

HIDER HIDDEN THERE

It is known that the Nazis were very interested in Antarctica. A number of expeditions were equipped there. And they even staked out a vast territory in the area of ​​Queen Maud Land, calling it New Swabia.

There, in 1939, on the coast, the Germans discovered a striking area of ​​about 40 square kilometers, free of ice. With a relatively mild climate, with numerous non-freezing lakes. It was named the Schirmacher Oasis, after the German pioneer pilot. Subsequently, the Soviet polar station Novolazarevskaya was located here.

3

According to the official version, the Third Reich went to Antarctica to build bases there to guard its whaling fleets. But there are much more interesting suggestions. Although it is difficult to call them even sci-fi. A pile of some kind of mysticism.

4

In short, the story is as follows. Allegedly, during the expeditions to Tibet, the Nazis learned that there is something inside Antarctica. Some vast and warm cavities. And in them there is something left either from aliens, or from the ancient highly developed civilization that once lived there. At the same time, in a separate story, it was argued that Antarctica was once Atlantis.

5

As a result, already at the end of the 30s of the last century, German submarines found a secret passage in the ice. And they got inside - into these very cavities.
Further, the legends diverge. According to one version, the Nazis built their cities under the ice, according to another - they conspired with the local inhabitants and settled in a free housing stock.

6

There - inside the ice continent - in 1945, a living Hitler was brought along with a living Eva Braun. Allegedly, he sailed in a submarine, accompanied by a numerous escort - a whole squadron of huge submarines (8 pieces) called the "Fuehrer's Convoy". And he lived until 1971. And according to some reports, right up to 1985.

7

The authors of the Antarctic myths place under the ice and "flying saucers" of the Third Reich, rumors about which are saturated with numerous books, films, TV shows and the Internet. They say that the Nazis also hid these devices inside. Then they improved and are still in operation, starting from mines in Antarctica. And UFOs are the very "saucers".

8

"Plate" - either alien or German

Tales about polar aliens and Germans are hard to take seriously. But ... What to do with the hole, the "plate" and the lakes discovered by Joseph Skipper? One thing fits the other very well. If, of course, objects are what they look like.

9

UFOs can fly out of a hole in the mountains. The "plate" is real. Maybe even an alien one. Looks icy. And as if exposed as a result of either global warming, or weathering. Belongs to those guys who lived or live in the warm inner cavities of Antarctica.

10

Lake on the surface of Antarctica

Well, the lakes are just evidence that they - cavities - are. And they warm up the oases. Like the Schirmacher oasis, which is far from the only one.

Antarctica is generally a strange place ...

11

By the way, Lake Vostok is not free of tales either. A strong magnetic anomaly was found on its western side. This is a scientific fact. But the nature of the anomaly has not yet been determined. Which gives ufologists the right, at least temporarily, to assert that a massive metal object lies here. Specifically, a huge alien ship. Maybe crashed. Maybe thrown millions of years ago, when there was still no ice over the lake. Maybe active and just parked.

12

This is what ice looks like over Lake Vostok. On the left, there is a magnetic anomaly and strange dunes. On the right bank - Vostok station

Unfortunately, the magnetic anomaly is located far from the well - at the opposite end of the lake. And it will hardly be possible to solve it soon. If it ever works.

13

At Vostok station in Antarctica, our scientists at a depth of 3,768 thousand meters completed drilling and reached the surface of the subglacial lake

It is already known that Lake Vostok is far from the only one in Antarctica. There are more than a hundred similar ones. The East is simply the largest open. Researchers now assume that all these lakes, hidden under the ice, communicate with each other.

14

The existence of an extensive network of subglacial rivers and canals was recently reported by British scientists - Duncan Wingham of University College London and colleagues - in an article published in the reputable scientific journal Nature. Their conclusions are based on data received from satellites.

Wingham assures: the under-ice canals are as deep as the Thames.

15

Lake Wanda mystery. It is a salty lake and is covered with ice all year round. But what is amazing: a thermometer lowered into the water at a depth of 60 m shows ... 25 degrees Celsius! Why? Scientists don't know this yet. Probably Antarctica will present many more such mysteries.

Laughter, laughter, but the discovery of British scientists does not contradict the most delusional versions of the hidden Antarctic life. On the contrary, it reinforces them. After all, a network of channels located at a depth of about 4 kilometers under the skinny ice can connect one cavity to another. Serve as a kind of roads, which in some place may have access to the ocean. Or the entrance.

16

Queen Maud Land is a vast area on the Atlantic coast of Antarctica, lying between longitudes 20 ° W and 44 ° 38 "E. An area of ​​approximately 2,500,000 square kilometers. The territory is subject to the Antarctic Treaty.

This treaty prohibits the use of Antarctic territories for any purpose other than scientific research. Several scientific stations operate on the territory of Queen Maud Land, including the Russian station "Novolazarevskaya" and the German station "Neumeier"

Antarctica was discovered back in 1820. However, its first systematic and in-depth study began only a century later. Moreover, the most interested researchers of the ice continent were representatives of Nazi Germany. In 1938-1939, the Germans equipped two powerful expeditions to the continent.

17

Luftwaffe planes photographed vast territories in detail and dropped several thousand metal pennants with a swastika onto the mainland. Captain Ritscher, responsible for the operation, reported personally to Field Marshal Goering, who at that time was the head of the Ministry of Aviation and the first person in the Air Force:

"Every 25 kilometers, our planes dropped pennants. We covered an area of ​​approximately 8.6 million square meters. Of which 350 thousand square meters were photographed."

18

The surveyed area was named New Swabia and declared part of the future millennial Reich. Actually, the name was not chosen by chance. Swabia is a medieval duchy that later became part of the unified German state.

The activity of the Nazis in this direction, naturally, did not hide from Soviet intelligence, as evidenced by a unique document labeled "Top Secret". On January 10, 1939, he lay down on the table of Vsevolod Merkulov, First Deputy People's Commissar of the NKVD, Head of the Main Directorate of State Security.

In it, an unknown intelligence officer reported on his trip to the Reich the following: "... At present, according to Gunther, a party of German researchers is working in Tibet. The result of the work of one of the groups ... made it possible to equip a German scientific expedition to Antarctica in December 1938. . The purpose of this expedition is the discovery by the Germans of the so-called city of the gods, hidden under the ice of Antarctica in the area of ​​the Queen Maud Land ... "

19

"Lake": 66o18'07,15''S; 100o47'51.16''E. 1. Queen Maud Land and Schirmacher Oasis. 2. Anomalies on Queen Mary Land - a "course", "plate" and "lake" were found here.

There is a lot of evidence that there are places in the central region of the Antarctic ice sheet where there appears to be water at the bottom of the ice sheet. Igor Zotikov, a researcher at the Institute of Geography of the Russian Academy of Sciences, talked about how, back in 1961, he analyzed data on the ice sheet of the central part of Antarctica obtained during the first four Soviet expeditions.

The results of this analysis showed that the central regions are in conditions where the heat removal from the lower surface of the glacier upwards due to its great thickness is very small. In this regard, the entire flow of heat from the bowels of the earth cannot be entirely removed from the boundaries of the "ice - solid bed" interface; part of it must be constantly spent on continuous melting at this boundary.

20

The following conclusion was made: melt water in the form of a relatively thin film is squeezed out to places where the glacier is thinner. In separate depressions of the under-ice bed, this water can accumulate in the form of lakes of melt water.

In May 1962, the Izvestia newspaper wrote: "... It can be assumed that under the ice of Antarctica, on an area almost equal to the area of ​​Europe, a sea of ​​fresh water is poured. It must be rich in oxygen, which is delivered by the upper layers of ice gradually sinking into the depth and snow. And it may very well be that this subglacial sea has its own, exclusively peculiar life ... "

21

There are still unexplored areas in Antarctica, says Sergei Bulat, senior researcher at the Department of Molecular and Radiation Biophysics at the St. Petersburg Institute of Nuclear Physics. - The subglacial structure is very diverse, it is a common continental relief, where there are mountains, lakes and so on. There are niches between the continent and the ice, but not empty, they are all filled with either water or ice.

However, in my opinion, the existence of a separate civilization under the ice cap is impossible. After all, the ice thickness in Central Antarctica is over three kilometers. It is easy for anything to survive there. Do not forget that the average temperature on the surface of the continent is minus 55 degrees. Although under the ice, of course, it is warm - about 5-6 degrees below zero, nevertheless life there is unlikely.

22

The area of ​​Antarctica is about 14 million square kilometers. Almost the entire continent is covered with ice. In some places, its thickness reaches 5 kilometers. And what is under it is known only about an insignificant part of the surface.

A team of scientists from China, Japan and the UK recently published the results of their 4-year research in the journal Nature. From 2004 to 2008, they drove powerful all-terrain vehicles through the most severe region of Antarctica - over the Gamburtsev mountains. And they shone it with radars. The result was a relief map of the surface with an area of ​​about 900 square kilometers.

23

And it turned out that the continent was once free of ice. Even 34 million years ago, mountains and plains with flowering meadows were located here. As it is now in the European Alps.

But something happened. The researchers found the place from which a small glacier, located at the highest peak (about 2400 meters), began to grow. Gradually, he covered the whole of Antarctica. I hid several lakes under a layer of ice.

Martin Seigert from the University of Edinburgh, who took part in the expedition, is sure that frozen plants are still preserved in the valleys of the Antarctic Alps. Even small trees. Only it is unlikely to get to them. But you can try, for example, through drilling.

Some facts

Antarctica has at least four poles. In addition to the geographical South and magnetic, there are also the Pole of Cold and the Pole of the Winds.

In Antarctica, there are such frosts that are not found anywhere else on earth. On August 25, 1958, a temperature of 87.4 degrees below zero was recorded at Vostok station.
And the pole of the winds? It is located in Victoria Antarctic Land. Fierce winds rage there all year round. Often, the speed of air forces flows exceeds 80 meters per second, which leaves behind the strongest tropical cyclones ...

24

Plane frozen in the ice in Antarctica near the Russian station Novolazarevskaya

And what is under the ice of this continent? As a result of deep drilling at a depth of one and a half kilometers, scientists have discovered clear traces of volcanic eruptions and deposits of iron ores. Diamonds and uranium, gold and rock crystal have already been found here. Each year brings new mysteries to the explorers of the Antarctic continent.

There are fewer and fewer “white” spots on the white continent. However, while the specialists were working on drawing up the map, they saw many unexpected things. And they pretty much broke their heads to explain what they saw.

Volcanoes in ice

This place in the west of Antarctica is well known to polar explorers - expeditions have been here many times.

But if you stand on the surface, no "circles in the ice" are visible - an ordinary snow-covered plain. However, satellite images revealed just such a convex anomaly. It turned out to be an extinct volcano. There are many of them in Antarctica. And this proves once again that the sixth continent of our planet was not always frozen.

25

Noah frozen in the ice?

26

How icy rivers flow

Such pictures can often be seen from archaeologists. Using aerial photography, they define the contours of ancient cities buried in sand or earth.

And something similar was found in Antarctica. Alas, these are not ruins left by a mysterious civilization. A "river" is an ice stream that moves at a speed of several hundred meters per year. And if at the bottom of the river there are some obstacles or two rivers collide, then whirlpools begin, as in this photo.

27

Now in Antarctica there are 50 polar research stations from 20 countries of the planet. Russia contains 6 permanent stations and two seasonal ones.

Using images from space, scientists have compiled a detailed map of the sixth continent. And they found unusual objects on it

Last week, experts from the US National Space Agency and the British Antarctic Society announced the creation of the most detailed 3D map of the icy continent. For three years, from 1999 to 2001, the Landsat-7 space satellite has snapped 1100 images of Antarctica from all sorts of angles. Plus several tens of thousands of aerial photography frames. Scientists spent another six years studying the images and assembling this mosaic into a single whole. True, a complete map of the mainland still did not work out. Due to the peculiarities of the orbits of the Earth satellites, it was not possible to shoot the very "top" of our planet - the South Pole region. But this does not bother scientists: although the first space photos of this continent appeared back in 1972, and the first map was in 1998, the current one turned out to be 10 times clearer than all previously existing images of the white continent. For example, you can see objects measuring 15x15 meters. That is, half of the basketball court. In addition, all images are given in real color, and the map can be used for
See what Antarctica really looks like from space.

According to project manager Robert Binshadler from NASA's Hydrosphere and Biosphere Laboratory, if scientists around the world "used to study the ice continent on black-and-white television, now they have been provided with the most sophisticated color."

Also, the map will help to assess how global warming affects, and indeed does it affect Antarctica. Now the situation is ambiguous. Satellite images show that, on the one hand, coastal glaciers are rapidly melting and sliding into the sea in the Ross Sea area, but in other areas the area of ​​ice fields is increasing.

There are no more "white" spots on the white continent. However, while the specialists were working on drawing up the map, they saw many unexpected things. And they pretty much broke their heads to explain what they saw.

Anomalous airfield

"It just can't be!" Legend has it that this is exactly what exclaimed one graduate student who was sent to analyze images sent from orbit by the Landsat-7 probe. Someone is giving a sign of distress and has laid out a giant cross in Antarctica.

Everything turned out to be much simpler. "X" - two runways of the American polar station McMurdo.

By the way, the dome of the station is visible to the left of the point of their intersection.

Noah frozen in the ice?

And this picture was liked by lovers of everything abnormal. The picture is unusually similar to the remains of Noah's ark, which, as they say, turned to stone on the slope of Ararat (see photo below). In fact, this is the Dry Valleys area - the only place in Antarctica free of snow.

How icy rivers flow

Such pictures can often be seen from archaeologists.

Using aerial photography, they define the contours of ancient cities buried in sand or earth.

And scientists found something similar in Antarctica. Alas, these are not ruins left by a mysterious civilization. A "river" is an ice stream that moves at a speed of several hundred meters per year. And if at the bottom of the river there are some obstacles or two rivers collide, then whirlpools begin, as in this photo.

BTW

Now in Antarctica there are 50 polar research stations from 20 countries of the planet. Russia contains 6 permanent stations and two seasonal ones. This year, the plans for the next 53rd Russian Antarctic Expedition include the reactivation of two more of our stations, which were closed at the end of the 80s of the last century.

November 30, 2007

American and British scientists have compiled the most accurate satellite map of Antarctica. To do this, it was necessary to put together a giant "puzzle" of 1100 images taken by the Landsat 7 spacecraft. The satellite photographed the surface of Antarctica for three years - from 1999 to 2001, but until now these frames were scattered. Now they have been combined into a single digital image and even posted on the Internet for open access. The mapmakers believe their work will help scientists exploring the ice-covered southern mainland.

True, this image of Antarctica is also incomplete. Landsat 7 was unable to capture the central area around the South Pole, making the map look like a donut with terra incognita in the center. However, the rest of the territories that could be reached by the satellite's cameras are depicted with great clarity (an official press release from NASA claims that the map shows details of half a basketball court, that is, 14 meters). National Aerospace Agency geographer Robert Bindshadler explaining the benefits new card in front of other satellite images of Antarctica, stated that it looks "like watching high definition television with vibrant color compared to a grainy black and white picture." It is argued that this high-resolution "mosaic" will help those scientists who explore hard-to-reach areas of the mainland, since even now it is almost impossible to reach many parts of Antarctica.

In recent years, Antarctica has become a topical and even fashionable topic, although at the end of the last century, the ice continent somewhere far away at the Pole was of little interest. Probably, primarily because the sixth continent was (and still remains) a territory without an economy. You can send scientific expeditions there, take tourists, fishing is allowed in the Southern Ocean. This is where the list of possible occupations practically ends: according to the Antarctic Treaty, it is impossible to own these lands or engage in any activity useful for one's own wallet on the polar glaciers.

As a result, it turns out that enough detailed description there are no inland territories of this continent. On ordinary physical maps, the surface of Antarctica is depicted quite schematically: usually the coastline, ice shelves (the edges of continental ice that slipped into shallow water), the most noticeable ridges and peaks are drawn. Greater accuracy, as a rule, is not required, since even polar explorers rarely find themselves inside the mainland (almost all scientific stations are located on the coast, it is much easier to approach a ship with a cargo).

But now the sphere of Antarctic research is experiencing a rebirth, and the number of scientific stations on the continent is constantly increasing. Moreover, new expeditions are sent not only by powers that are traditionally fond of polar research, but also by those countries that were previously absolutely not interested eternal ice(such as India, for example). Global warming also played a role. Climate change should, as scientists suggest, lead to significant melting of Antarctic glaciers and some rise in the level of the World Ocean. In this regard, the fate of Antarctica worried not only specialists, but also politicians, and this, apparently, somewhat simplified the knocking out of funds for research on the sixth continent.

Mikhail MANSKOY

Source http://www.vremya.ru/2007/219/12/193028.html

More in English http://www.nasa.gov/vision/earth/lookingatearth/lima_feature.html