04/09/2026
Mount Everest isn’t technically the closest place on Earth to the stars—or the Sun! 🏔️☀️✨
While Mount Everest holds the title for highest altitude above sea level (29,031 ft / 8,848 m), an inactive volcano in Ecuador called Mount Chimborazo takes the trophy for closest point to outer space.
Here is the geography trick behind how this works:
1️⃣ Earth Is Not a Perfect Sphere 🌐
Because Earth rotates on its axis, centrifugal force pushes mass outward at the center. This creates an oblate spheroid shape—meaning Earth bulges around the equator and is slightly flattened at the poles.
2️⃣ The Equatorial Bulge 📐
This equatorial bulge adds about 13 miles (21 km) of extra thickness to Earth’s radius at the equator compared to the poles.