Although tourist trips to space have already become a reality, it is still a pleasure for very wealthy tourists. Meanwhile, how a correctly chosen vacation route can bring you as close to space as possible, even if you stay on the surface of the Earth.
When we think of the highest point on our planet, Mount Everest comes to mind. But it all depends on what exactly we are measuring. OBOZ.UA figured out why those who want to get closer to space should go not to Nepal, but to Ecuador.
Indeed, the highest point in the Himalayas has the greatest height above sea level. However, if we measure the distance of the mountain peak from the center of the Earth, the highest will be the Chimborazo volcano in Ecuador.
Chimborazo is an inactive stratovolcano in the Andes. Its height above sea level is 6,268 meters. This makes it the highest peak in Ecuador, but it is not even in the top 100 highest mountains in the world, if you count from sea level. Nevertheless, the top of Chimborazo is covered with eternal glaciers, like any giant mountain.
But why is the Ecuadorian volcano considered the closest to space? The secret lies in the shape of our planet and the geographical location of the mountain.
The fact is that our planet is not a perfect sphere. Because it is constantly rotating in space and also has its own unique relief, scientists call its shape an oblate spheroid, or more precisely, a geoid. This means that it is flattened near the poles and has a noticeable bulge or at the equator.
The South American country of Ecuador is located exactly on the equator (even its name suggests this), that is, it is located right on this bulge. And Chimborazo volcano is just one degree south of the equator. So it is definitely much further from the center of the Earth.
So it follows that Everest, with its 8,848 meters above sea level, although it has a much higher altitude than Chimborazo, is located far from the equator (at 28° north latitude). And Chimborazo is on the equatorial bulge of the Earth, so as a result its peak is about 2,168 meters (over 2 kilometers!) further from the center of the Earth than the peak of Everest.
So technically, having climbed to the top of Chimborazo, you will be closer to the Cartman line, which is considered the beginning of space, than anywhere else on the surface of the planet. So if you want to be as close to the stars as possible, go to Ecuador.
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