# Big WTC photo **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 6, 2001, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-wtc-photo/85813 "2001-10-06T19:25:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![bernse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a9a28c/32.png) [@bernse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bernse)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2001, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-wtc-photo/85813/1 "2001-10-06T19:25:34Z")
A huge, recent overhead WTC photo. Very detailed, and very, very large – 9372x9372. Beware, it is a 14MB jpg. Yes, 14MB. [http://www.firecgi.de/wtc-photo.jpg](http://www.firecgi.de/wtc-photo.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2001, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-wtc-photo/85813/2 "2001-10-06T19:50:29Z")
Ack… looking at it is kinda nauseating…the angle is absolutely horrible. But this looks to be pre-attack. I didn’t see any big mess anywhere. ---
**Author:** ![bernse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a9a28c/32.png) [@bernse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bernse)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2001, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-wtc-photo/85813/3 "2001-10-06T20:11:02Z")
You must not be looking down in the photo at all. It is definetly post attack. There is rubble, dust and dirt everywhere in the middle of the image. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2001, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-wtc-photo/85813/4 "2001-10-06T20:26:56Z")
Yeah, its definately post attack. Near the center you can see the debris and the workers digging through the building remains. Also, you can see that several buildings have been heavily damaged. ---
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2001, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-wtc-photo/85813/5 "2001-10-06T20:55:26Z")
I had to import it into photoshop and shrink it to find it. That made it a much more powerful image… just this hole in the middle of the city. Damn. According to MSNBC, intelligence sources are saying that they are getting the same kind of vague intelligence they got before the attacks. And they say that the chance of more attacks soon, with or without retaliation by us, are 100%. Neato. stoid ---
**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2001, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-wtc-photo/85813/6 "2001-10-07T02:30:05Z")
Is this a satellite photo? If so . . . whoa. ---
**Author:** ![waterj2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/858c86/32.png) [@waterj2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/waterj2)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2001, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-wtc-photo/85813/7 "2001-10-07T02:49:07Z")
Reasonably sized satellite photos can be found here: [http://www.spaceimaging.com/newsroom/attack\_gallery.htm](http://www.spaceimaging.com/newsroom/attack_gallery.htm) ---
**Author:** ![waterj2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/858c86/32.png) [@waterj2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/waterj2)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2001, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-wtc-photo/85813/8 "2001-10-07T03:01:12Z")
From the looks of it (using Photoshop to view the whole thing at once), the picture in the OP seems to have too much perspective effect to have been taken by satellite. Looks more like it was taken from an airplane directly over the WTC site. ---
**Author:** ![orion007](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e480ec/32.png) [@orion007](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/orion007)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2001, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-wtc-photo/85813/9 "2001-10-07T03:16:26Z")
It’s been loading for a while and I still can’t see any of it. How long is it supposed to take to finish? Is there a smaller version available anywhere? **waterj2** , great pics. Thanks for the link. ---
**Author:** ![lolagranola](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ea5d25/32.png) [@lolagranola](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lolagranola)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2001, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-wtc-photo/85813/10 "2001-10-07T05:16:02Z")
Netscape says it is unable to open the file. ---
**Author:** ![drewbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drewbert/32/15890_2.png) [@drewbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewbert)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2001, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-wtc-photo/85813/11 "2001-10-07T05:28:10Z")
I watched it download on my 56k connection. Took about an hour. Eek! OmniWeb browser choked on it as it finished the download, but I had time to look at most of the picture. Anyway, it goes a long way putting the whole thing in perspective, but it’s still far too massive to really grasp. (I’m asuming that South is at the top of the picture?) Anyone notice the cathedral very near (NW?) of the destruction? I’d read about it in a few places - it barely missed the worst of it. I also noticed some crowds of people along one one street just north of the site. Wonder what the gathering was? ---
**Author:** ![Darwins\_Finch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darwins_finch/32/20304_2.png) [@Darwins\_Finch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darwins_Finch)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2001, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-wtc-photo/85813/12 "2001-10-07T05:39:37Z")
I’ve been looking at the photo in “actual size”, and all I can say is… Heck, I can’t say anything. I can’t even imagine how long it will take to clean up all the debris. When you see the size of just some of the pieces compared to the “tiny” little trucks and cranes… Given the digital readouts at the bottom of the image, it doesn’t look to be a “normal” photograph. Any details on how the image was actually obtained? ---
**Author:** ![Lockfist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/838e76/32.png) [@Lockfist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lockfist)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2001, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-wtc-photo/85813/13 "2001-10-08T01:26:21Z")
I was able to load the photo yesterday but no luck today. I did save a copy to my hard drive but Irfanviewer cannot open it. Any ideas ? ---
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2001, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-wtc-photo/85813/14 "2001-10-08T02:29:05Z")
I’m guessing it’s a satellite photo. ---
**Author:** ![Peta\_Tzunami](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b487fb/32.png) [@Peta\_Tzunami](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peta_Tzunami)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2001, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-wtc-photo/85813/15 "2001-10-08T02:49:46Z")
It is almost certainly an aerial (not satellite) photo. I worked for about a year at a [aerial photograhy and photogrammetic engineering firm](http://www.kucera-gis.com/) in Ohio that took these types of stereoscopic images. ---
**Author:** ![Violet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/ebca7d/32.png) [@Violet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Violet)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2001, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-wtc-photo/85813/16 "2001-10-08T03:26:19Z")
Thanks for sharing this awesome photograph. I can see the shopping mall across from the debris. A dome shape. There is a skylight there where I recall looking up and seeing the twin towers. The skylight appears to have damage, and I understand that the entire structure is also weakened. I also enjoyed walking along the waterfront. ---
**Author:** ![SmackFu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@SmackFu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmackFu)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2001, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-wtc-photo/85813/17 "2001-10-08T03:56:40Z")
For those who are bandwidth-deprived, or just plain computer-deprived (IE was just sucking RAM when I was loading it), I’ve put up smaller versions on my web site. [Entire frame](http://www.smackfu.com/photos/wtc/overhead800x800.jpg), 800x800, 200k [Zoom-in on WTC](http://www.smackfu.com/photos/wtc/groundzero800x800.jpg), 800x800, 200k [Full-rez crop of atrium](http://www.smackfu.com/photos/wtc/atrium800x600.jpg), 800x600, 150k And some cropped parts at half resolution: [7 WTC, the building that collapsed later](http://www.smackfu.com/photos/wtc/7wtc.jpg), 499x586, 85k [Banker’s Trust Building](http://www.smackfu.com/photos/wtc/iron.jpg), 556x369, 72k [One Liberty Plaza, a 54 story building wrapped in fabric to stop falling glass](http://www.smackfu.com/photos/wtc/wrapped.jpg), 538x461, 65k [Barges hauling debris](http://www.smackfu.com/photos/wtc/barges.jpg), 387x295, 35k [Church (the top of the picture is the site)](http://www.smackfu.com/photos/wtc/church.jpg), 234x629, 35k Hope this helps. ---
**Author:** ![Xixox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/13edae/32.png) [@Xixox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xixox)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2001, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-wtc-photo/85813/18 "2001-10-08T04:03:34Z")
While staring at this picture, I found myself looking for a dropdown menu for demolition tools. It’d be so much easier to clean up in a Sim World. _bzzrpt_ - Dozing cost $8 _poomph_ - Commercial Zoning $500 _sigh_ ---
**Author:** ![ElwoodCuse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/edb3f5/32.png) [@ElwoodCuse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElwoodCuse)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2001, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-wtc-photo/85813/19 "2001-10-08T06:37:12Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Xixox \* > \*\*While staring at this picture, I found myself looking for a dropdown menu for demolition tools. It’d be so much easier to clean up in a Sim World. > _bzzrpt_ - Dozing cost $8 > _poomph_ - Commercial Zoning $500 > > _sigh_ \*\* I’m pretty sure the twin towers are “landmark” buildings that you can place in Sim City 3000. ---
**Author:** ![Violet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/ebca7d/32.png) [@Violet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Violet)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2001, 8:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-wtc-photo/85813/20 "2001-10-08T08:04:53Z")
SmackFu, thanks for those additional photos. I did a couple with PhotoShop, too, but really like yours.