This is how Spore looks like 350 km above at night. I can’t even

Last Updated on 2016-05-20 , 9:35 am

Whenever we travel, one of things we will surely do is to look down from the window of the plane to see the overview of our little island. It’s a beautiful sight, really. All those little sparkling lights from the city centre and from the cargo ships in the waters around, you can even make out the heartland areas with their slightly dimmer outlook. That’s when we usually give a wave and say “Bye Singapore! See you in a few days’ time!”

But have you ever thought how our island city looks like 350km above the Earth? Mind you, it’s 350km above the Earth and not above ground. Which means we are talking about the satellite view of Singapore. Some of you may be thinking, “Our country so small, can be seen from space meh?” Apparently so.

A picture taken by US astronaut Tim Kopra from the International Space Station on the night of January 3, 2011, shows a   breath-taking overview of our whole island at an altitude of 352km.

Although the specific areas are not clearly shown (obviously, since the picture was taken so far off the ground), you can almost make out the Orchard Road area all the way towards Marina, as this whole stretch is distinctly brighter. You can also see Changi Airport and the bright lights at the port at Pasir Panjang.

The heartlands, though, can also be identified relatively clearly. You can tell that if one travels further towards the left or right of the island from the centre, the lights get slightly dimmer and the land looks more densely populated. It’s pretty amazing that we can still make out the shape of the island that we all so fondly know that identifies Singapore.

But with the advent of technology and all the improvements being made in the recent years, it makes me imagine how this island city will look like in 2026 from that same height.

Will it be larger and brighter? Will it be misshapen due to all the reclamation? Will we recognise it as our country if shown the picture and told to guess which country we are looking at? So many questions, but no answers, at least not for the time being.

Until another space photo is taken of our sunny island will we know for sure what we have become. I hope by then we will still be able to look at the photo and say, “Wow, our country still looks as beautiful as it was back then.”