Topsy Turvy

I listen to Radio Station Triple J's (how do you write that? JJJ?) podcast with Dr Karl which answers various science-type questions. An item a couple of weeks ago (before Dr K went off to, I think it was, Norway, to get married) was on why Australia is portrayed as "down under". Which turns out to be because the people who set out in ships to discover other parts of the world got to draw the maps and they put themselves up the top. So think for a moment of the trouble that goes into making sure that we all see the world "the right way up". All those images we see in space have the Earth with the northern hemisphere at the north, but in space there is no up (which is why it's just as well that in space, no-one can hear you scream, because it would be fairly disturbing!). Heh heh - just looking for a photo of the world to turn upside down to put in here and have had to google Earth. And then I had the thought - but if there is no "up" in space - what if the middle/equator were the top. Aaaarrrghh. [head explodes] But I did find this cool site, Earth from Space, which lets you zoom in on your little place on earth, as well as search for geographic features. [makes note to investigate further]