Skip to content
Little girl looking Dear readers, Catholic Online was de-platformed by Shopify for our pro-life beliefs. They shut down our Catholic Online, Catholic Online School, Prayer Candles, and Catholic Online Learning Resources—essential faith tools serving over 1.4 million students and millions of families worldwide. Our founders, now in their 70's, just gave their entire life savings to protect this mission. But fewer than 2% of readers donate. If everyone gave just $5, the cost of a coffee, we could rebuild stronger and keep Catholic education free for all. Stand with us in faith. Thank you. Help Now >

Russians take highest resolution photo of planet Earth

Free World Class Education
FREE Catholic Classes
Russian Satellite takes amazing view of our planet.

A new photo was taken by a Russian weather satellite, known as Elektro-L No. 1, which flies in a geostationary orbit roughly 22,000 miles above the Earth's equator.

Highlights

By Catholic Online (NEWS CONSORTIUM)
Catholic Online (https://www.catholic.org)
5/17/2012 (1 decade ago)

Published in Green

Keywords: photo, image, high resolution, Russian, satellie, Earth, planet

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online)  - Posted by James Drake on the Planet Earth website, Drake received the photo from the Russian Federal Space Agency's Research Center for Earth Operative Monitoring, whom manages the Elektro-L No. 1 spacecraft, after giving interest in animating and publishing the photo. "In total I have an archive of 1,200 high-resolution images," Drake said. Elektro-L No. 1 scans the Earth in both visible and infrared wavelengths that observe what naturally happens on the surface of the planet. When different wavelengths of light are combined, the planets features and colors are brought out spectacularly. "When I see these images, I perceive the planet we live on as incredibly beautiful, interconnected and alive," Drake said. "They show the Earth for what it is, a spinning orb of metal and rock with a thin surface layer of unimaginable complexity. The fluid water and air that cover our planet are filled with intricate sel-replicating fractal patterns called life. What is happening on this planet is absolutely extraordinary!" The photo is a reminder of how humanity is very much connected to the cosmos in space. Elektro-L No. 1 was launched on January 20, 2011, and is part of the Russian Federal Space Agency's brand new group of meteorological satellites. There are some similarities between Elektro-L's image and NASA's famous "Blue Marble" photo of Earth, which was recently updated by NASA's newest satellite, Suomi NPP, which was launched on October 28, 2011. "Just think about it, the atoms in your body and everything on Earth were formed in the hearts of supergiant stars, cast out in gigantic supernovae explosions, and condensed down into a small sphere orbiting a star," Drake said. "To see the Earth when knowing that is to discover yourself as a cell of a much greater being. You are an integral component of a planetary consciousness that is traveling through a vast and beautiful cosmos."

---


'Help Give every Student and Teacher FREE resources for a world-class Moral Catholic Education'


Copyright 2021 - Distributed by Catholic Online

Join the Movement
When you sign up below, you don't just join an email list - you're joining an entire movement for Free world class Catholic education.

Advent / Christmas 2024

Catholic Online Logo

Copyright 2024 Catholic Online. All materials contained on this site, whether written, audible or visual are the exclusive property of Catholic Online and are protected under U.S. and International copyright laws, © Copyright 2024 Catholic Online. Any unauthorized use, without prior written consent of Catholic Online is strictly forbidden and prohibited.

Catholic Online is a Project of Your Catholic Voice Foundation, a Not-for-Profit Corporation. Your Catholic Voice Foundation has been granted a recognition of tax exemption under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Federal Tax Identification Number: 81-0596847. Your gift is tax-deductible as allowed by law.