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nTodaynwe celebrate the spot on Earth that is closest to the moon.
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nThenspot that is farthest from the center of the Earth.
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nInnother words, the highest spot, the tip-top of Mount Everest, onenwould think! This mountain is the highest elevation in the world—sonit must be closest to the moon and farthest from the center of thenEarth.
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nRight?
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Well,nyou’ve probably figured out that that would be wrong. The tip ofnpaltry little Chimborazo, an inactive volcano that is a mere 20,565nfeet high, is actually the closest to the moon.
Well,nyou’ve probably figured out that that would be wrong. The tip ofnpaltry little Chimborazo, an inactive volcano that is a mere 20,565nfeet high, is actually the closest to the moon.n
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nAnd,nof course, farthest from the center of the Earth.
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Thisnis because we measure elevation from sea level. And compared to MountnEverest, Chimborazo is almost ten thousand feet closer to sea level.nBut Chimborazo is located in Ecuador, very close to the equator. And,nas you may have heard, the Earth isn’t a perfect sphere. It bulges anlittle in the middle—that is, at the equator. So this SouthnAmerican mountain sticks out into space about one and half miles morenthan Mount Everest!!
Thisnis because we measure elevation from sea level. And compared to MountnEverest, Chimborazo is almost ten thousand feet closer to sea level.nBut Chimborazo is located in Ecuador, very close to the equator. And,nas you may have heard, the Earth isn’t a perfect sphere. It bulges anlittle in the middle—that is, at the equator. So this SouthnAmerican mountain sticks out into space about one and half miles morenthan Mount Everest!!n
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nAlsonon this date:
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Geologist James Hutton’s birthday
Geologist James Hutton’s birthday n
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Anniversary of tonsillitis striking Elvis Presley and Ringo Starr
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