A Geek Out Moment: Our Tiny Blue Atom Planet

I opened up a Google Earth link on the web today called “Satellite Database” (Google Earth required to view).  I patiently waited a few seconds for the program to open and load the file. When the screen populated, this is what I saw.

Click that image and view in full size, or better yet, click the link above and view this in Google Earth yourself.  In short, we have an astonishing number of satellites orbiting our world.  Thousands upon thousands.  Those are not stars in that picture.  Every single one of those little bitty particles surrounding our planet is a human produced mechanism.  Those that are not inactive are beaming radio waves between each other and to the surface.  Some are equipped with cameras, some with telescopes.  How are they not colliding?  How is the International Space Station not being torn to shreds?  I know the answers to these questions, but still… it is nothing short of incredible that we have managed to distribute this many machines into orbit around our planet, when just over 100 years ago we had not even figured out how to sustain powered flight on Earth.

You can click on any satellite and have its trajectory mapped (hence the several colored lines swirling around the planet).  What’s more, the positions of all the satellites are updated every 30 seconds.  I want to keep this open on my side monitor all.  day.  long.

I have no philosophical or other insightful point to make here.  I’m only trying to say one thing, and it is the following.

Damn.