Constellation Explorer: A Compass to the Southern Sky has arrived!

Do you prefer Corona Australis to Corona Borealis? Is "Southern Cross" more to you than just a great Crosby, Stills, & Nash song? When you saw Constellation Explorer: A Compass to the Northern Sky, were you all like "Yeah, but where's Alpha Centauri?" Fear not, friends. Constellation Explorer: A Compass to the Southern Sky is here! Marvel at the majesty of the Magellanic Clouds! Wonder at the counter-clockwise progression of the days! Rejoice in the discovery that there's a whole other sky down there! Head over to the Municipal Prints site and order yours before the Earth's axial precession makes the whole thing inaccurate!* And oh yeah, I made it.

*Don't worry, this will take a few thousand years. You'll be long dead.

Mt. Whitney to Badwater Basin: A Topographic Profile

Recently, while spiraling down a Wikipedia wormhole, I discovered that the highest peak in the lower 48 (Mt. Whitney) is really close to the lowest point in all of North America (Badwater Basin). Only 86 miles! I thought to myself, "That's a hell of a drop over a short distance. I wonder what that looks like in profile?" Unable to find a good topographic profile of that data, I decided to just make one. Using good ol' Google Maps (terrain view), I stitched together a bunch of images and interpreted the data into this infographic (click for a larger view):

Mt. Whitney to Badwater Basin: A Topographic Profile

Over a distance of 84.6 miles, the land in California climbs 14,787 feet. Which makes this guy a complete badass: