Mount Everest is considered the world’s highest peak with an elevation of 8,848 meters or 29,029 feet. When we hear its height, most of us think it appears distinctly on the Earth’s crust from above space. How is Mount Everest viewed from space? Are all the Himalayas and Mount Everest from space viewed the same? This has always been a topic of discussion raising multiple questions.
Can you see Mount Everest from Space?
Well, the answer is yes. The Mount Everest can be seen from the space. Mount Everest’s view from space is conventionally seen as a rocky uplift covered entirely with snow, amidst the wide Himalayan range. The valleys, glaciers and Everest Base Camps can also be observed but it seems darker from space due to the shadows and lighting. This is the perspective we get when a picture of Mount Everest is taken from space. However for this also, the atmosphere must be lucid and the satellite should be flying just above the area. When observing with the naked eye, even the enormous Mount Everest is seen just as part of the crust and it barely lifts out. This is because of the large distance between the space satellites and the Earth which ranges from 160 km to 2000 km.
Can you see the Space from Mount Everest?
As Mount Everest is at an extreme height, some of us might think that outer space would be visible from the summit of Mount Everest. However, this is not possible. You cannot see space while still being in the Earth’s atmosphere. Mount Everest is almost 10 times beneath the Karman’s line, considered the boundary between Earth’s atmosphere and outer space. Despite this, the atmosphere does get thinner and air pressure gets reduced drastically at the summit of Mount Everest. This causes the sky to appear darker and stretched than from lower elevations which gives you the illusion of being within reach of the space.
Can you see Earth’s crust from Mount Everest?
When we hear, that Mount Everest is the highest peak in the world, it might be assumed that we can see the Earth’s horizon from its summit. Nonetheless, this is not the truth. Even if Mount Everest is the world’s highest peak, it isn’t the highest point of the Earth, the reason being the unsymmetrical shape of Earth. Many commercial flights also fly above this height but the horizon is still not visible. The Earth’s crust bends only 8 inches per square mile, which is very low to be noticed from a small height. Scientists have researched the threshold height to view the Earth’s crust as more than 35,000 ft. With this, a perfect vision of 60o is required. This height is more than 6,000 ft. than that of Mount Everest. This is why the Earth’s crust cannot be visibly noticed from the summit of the Mount Everest.
How far is the top of Mount Everest from space?
Mount Everest rises almost 9 km from the sea level, while the Karman’s line is recorded to be 100 km from the sea level. When the Karman’s line is crossed, it is considered space. Hence, even the summit of the world’s highest peak is almost 92 km farther from reaching space.
