Nemo Point is a specific point in the Pacific Ocean. Its fame is related to the fact that it is the farthest point from inhabited land. It is also known as the “Pacific Pole of Inaccessibility”. It is located 2,688 kilometers from Ducie Island, one of the Pitcairn Islands. In addition, 1,670 kilometers separate it from Maher Island, which is part of Easter Island.
Nemo Point has surprising features
The Croatian-Canadian engineer Hrvoje Lukatela made it official in 1992. It was he who calculated its coordinates using a specialized computer program to which he incorporated the ellipsoid shape of the Earth. Thus he achieved maximum precision in the exact location of Nemo Point is 48° 52.6′ south, 123° 23.6′ west.
It is very far from any inhabited land and it is very difficult to get there. The depth of the ocean is about 4,000 meters, for that reason, it is a very difficult site to explore. It is so remote that the closest humans to this site are the astronauts on the International Space Station.
The word “Nemo” is of Latin origin and means “nobody.” It was so named in connection with Captain Nemo, the fictional character in Jules Verne’s novel “Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea”. Captain Nemo was the commander of the submarine Nautilus and considered himself a man without a homeland or identity, belonging nowhere.
Although he happens to be the most remote, there are other poles of inaccessibility scattered around the world. Antarctica, Africa, South America, are some of the list.
Nemo Point attracts science
That area of the Pacific Ocean, is used as a “space graveyard”. Satellites and spacecraft are sent there at the end of their useful life. The fact that it is so far away from any inhabited land ensures that it is the ideal place to dispose of these objects without causing harm to life on Earth.
Some of the objects sent to the Space Graveyard include the Russian Mir station and the Hubble telescope, among many others. They estimate that the remains of more than 260 space structures are located there.
In that area, the Pacific Ocean has a great depth, and is therefore ideal for studying the seabed and the organisms that inhabit it. In recent years, many expeditions have been carried out to explore the Nemo Point area and discovered new species of marine flora and fauna.
Strategic location
Likewise, its location is unbeatable as a starting point for space exploration. Because it is so far from any inhabited land, specialists believe it would be the perfect place for manned space missions to depart from.
Likewise, the location is also more than conducive for the installation of space stations and telescopes, as the sky is the darkest and clearest.
