Emerging Technology: Keyhole

Let's just zoom down from a satellite to check on the kids in your backyard

By Steven Johnson
Jun 5, 2005 5:00 AMApr 25, 2023 7:24 PM
etech.jpg
Illustration by John Hersey

Newsletter

Sign up for our email newsletter for the latest science news
 

In the canon of great nerd party tricks, this one stands out: I invite a friend to sit down in front of my computer monitor, where a 3-D image of Earth floats against a black sky. I hit a key, and a virtual camera slowly begins to zoom in. First the broad outline of North America becomes visible, then the ragged coastline of the northeastern seaboard. The image grows sharper, revealing undulations of topography—the gentle slopes of the Adirondack Mountains, the miniature fjords along the Hudson north of New York City—and a gray mass of urban sprawl.

0 free articles left
Want More? Get unlimited access for as low as $1.99/month

Already a subscriber?

Register or Log In

0 free articlesSubscribe
Discover Magazine Logo
Want more?

Keep reading for as low as $1.99!

Subscribe

Already a subscriber?

Register or Log In

Stay Curious

Sign up for our weekly newsletter and unlock one more article for free.

 

View our Privacy Policy


Want more?
Keep reading for as low as $1.99!


Log In or Register

Already a subscriber?
Find my Subscription

More From Discover
Recommendations From Our Store
Stay Curious
Join
Our List

Sign up for our weekly science updates.

 
Subscribe
To The Magazine

Save up to 40% off the cover price when you subscribe to Discover magazine.

Copyright © 2024 Kalmbach Media Co.