Explanation:
What would it be like to stand
atop
the tallest mountain on Earth?
To see a full panoramic vista from there, scroll right.
Visible are snow peaked mountains near and far,
tremendous cliffs, distant plateaus,
the tops of clouds, and a dark blue sky.
Mt. Everest stands 8.85 kilometers above sea level,
roughly the maximum height reached by international
airplane flights,
but much less than the 300 kilometers achieved by a
space shuttle.
Hundreds of people have tried and failed to climb the
behemoth by foot, a feat
first
accomplished successfully in 1953.
About 1000 people have now
made it to the summit.
Roddy Mackenzie, who climbed the mountain in 1989, captured the
above image.
Mt. Everest lies in the
Himalayan mountains in the country of
Nepal.
In the
native language of Nepal,
the mountain's name is "Sagarmatha" which
means "forehead of the sky."
