Point Nemo, the most remote place on Earth, is located in the Pacific Ocean, more than 1,600 miles away from any land. Situated between New Zealand and Antarctica, it is so far from people that astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS) are usually the closest humans to it.
Due to its remote location, Point Nemo has been designated as the "spacecraft cemetery," where decommissioned spacecraft, including the ISS after its retirement in 2030, will be placed for their final resting spot.
Point Nemo, officially known as the Oceanic Pole of Inaccessibility, was discovered in 1992 by Hrvoje Lukatela, a Canadian-Russian engineer. Since then, more than 260 pieces of space debris—from Russia's Mir space station to NASA's Skylab—have been buried here after being purposefully brought down to avoid populous regions, reports Times of India.
The European Space Agency's Head of the Space Safety Programme, Holger Krag, claims that Point Nemo is the safest place for re-entering space debris because of its expansive, deserted oceans.
Point Nemo's extreme isolation and the man-made graveyard on its ocean floor make it a place of mystery and intrigue. However, its remoteness also highlights a troubling fact: in 2018, microplastics were found there when yachts passed through during the Volvo Ocean Race, showing that human pollution has reached even the most distant parts of the Earth.
Standing at Point Nemo, you’d see nothing but endless ocean in all directions. Surrounding this location is approximately nine million square miles of open water. The ocean here is cold, averaging just 45°F, and the nearest land masses are bleak: to the north, the barren Ducie Island, and to the south, Maher Island, off Antarctica’s coast. Your best hope for human civilization is 1,670 miles away at Easter Island, itself one of the most isolated inhabited places in the world.
If you ever happen to be near Point Nemo, you'll experience deep solitude. There are no humans, islands, or ships nearby, and even radio signals from the world can't reach you. The astronauts orbiting 249 miles above Earth may be the closest living beings. For now, Point Nemo stays a mysterious place on Earth.
Bd-pratidin English/ Afia
