[torga tembisa]

torga tembisa  asked the Naked Scientists:

Good day Dr Smith, I enjoy your slot on 702 talk radio in South Africa weekly! I look forward to you answering questions that one would be thinking about and had no clue who to ask! Your wealth of Knowledge is astounding!

I have a very simple question, hoping to get a simple answer:

I was watching Sky News just the other day, when I saw a giant `telescope` linking London and New York whereby people from this two Cities wave at it each other and get an almost instantaneous response.

What are the mechanics behind this ,and what technology has been used.

Regards
Justin Mokgatlhane

Johannesburg, South Africa

What do you think?

[techmind]

I presume you're referring to this: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/7415911.stm

It looks like an artist's project(!)

From what I have seen on the BBC story, I presume it's basically just a (perhaps high-definition) TV camera and a large (back-projected?) screen. The two ends will be connected via the internet and/or a commercial off-the-shelf point-to-point data-link.
Sorry to spoil the myth, but the rest of the construction is purely for "effect".

Now if you could just pursuade the guys at the other end to jump (or clap) in time with you, you could begin to estimate the round-trip delay. I'd guess it's a second or two (probably at least as much delay in the video compression as there is in the data link itself!).

[lightarrow]

torga tembisa  asked the Naked Scientists:

Good day Dr Smith, I enjoy your slot on 702 talk radio in South Africa weekly! I look forward to you answering questions that one would be thinking about and had no clue who to ask! Your wealth of Knowledge is astounding!

I have a very simple question, hoping to get a simple answer:

I was watching Sky News just the other day, when I saw a giant `telescope` linking London and New York whereby people from this two Cities wave at it each other and get an almost instantaneous response.

What are the mechanics behind this ,and what technology has been used.

Regards
Justin Mokgatlhane

Johannesburg, South Africa

What do you think?

A real telescope couldn't be, earth is round...

[turnipsock]

torga tembisa  asked the Naked Scientists:

Good day Dr Smith, I enjoy your slot on 702 talk radio in South Africa weekly! I look forward to you answering questions that one would be thinking about and had no clue who to ask! Your wealth of Knowledge is astounding!

I have a very simple question, hoping to get a simple answer:

I was watching Sky News just the other day, when I saw a giant `telescope` linking London and New York whereby people from this two Cities wave at it each other and get an almost instantaneous response.

What are the mechanics behind this ,and what technology has been used.

Regards
Justin Mokgatlhane

Johannesburg, South Africa

What do you think?

A real telescope couldn't be, earth is round...

I don't know where you get these ideas.

Anyway, here is a simpler solution...http://www.earthcam.com/usa/newyork/timessquare/index.php?cam=canonts

[techmind]

A real telescope couldn't be, earth is round...

Well, you could put some strategically placed prismatic lens elements to bend the light around the earth curvature... ;-)

[Alan McDougall]

Justin,


Hello from a fellow South African. I know what you mean. Diregarding the curvature of the earth and atmospheric pollution of course this is possible. Already you can see your own house using googol earth.

Madiba is the greatest person on earth bless him on his 90 th birthday.

Alan

[paul.fr]

Madiba is the greatest person on earth bless him on his 90 th birthday.

Surely you mean terrorist, who should still be in jail?

[rosalind dna]

Madiba is the greatest person on earth bless him on his 90 th birthday.

Surely you mean terrorist, who should still be in jail?

No, pensioner and ex-president of South Africa that is whom, Mandela is after having spent 27 years in jail until 1990 !

[paul.fr]

No, pensioner and ex-president of South Africa that is whom, Mandela is after having spent 27 years in jail until 1990 !

I think you will find he was a terrorist before that. If you wish to tell me otherwise then please start a topic in chat, where it can be discussed.

[Alan McDougall]

I am sorry I posted this friendly reply

Surely you mean terrorist, who should still be in jail?

You need a forgiving soul like this wherever you live!

Be a man and delete your unpleasant post

Alan

[syhprum]

I think the question is would the resolution of the best telescopes be sufficient to make out any detail of a person 3000 miles away.
I would estimate ignoring atmospheric effects the resolution at 3000 miles would amount to about 12" per pixel, not good enough to make out much detail