The Pyramids Of Giza As Seen From Space Photographed By the ESA

Who said you can't see the Pyramids of Giza from space? A new image provided by ESA's Proba-1 spacecraft has captured in stunning detail the Pyramids of the Giza plateau, proving that you can, in fact, see the magnificent structures from space. The Great Pyramid of Giza and its accompanying structures located on the Giza plateau have remained an enigma for archaeologists and scholars for hundreds of years. Shrouded in mystery, the Great Pyramid of Giza is without a doubt one of the most mind-boggling monuments ever erected on Earth, and its beauty is even visible from space. The European Space Agency recently published a stunning image of the Giza plateau starring the Pyramids of Khufu, Khafre, and Menkaure. As the ESA's Proba-1 Spacecraft passed over Egypt, its cameras caught a glimpse of the stunning ancient monuments. Proba-1 is a Belgian satellite that was outfitted with two cameras capable of capturing high-resolution images of the planet. The minisatellite, launched in 2001, is the ESA's longest-serving Earth-observing mission, reports CNET. [caption id="attachment_30614" align="aligncenter" width="1026"] A view looking north to south of Egypt’s famous Giza Pyramid Complex, as seen by ESA’s Proba-1 minisatellite. Image Credit: ESA[/caption] The space agency decided to share the image of the bird's-eye view of the Giza pyramid complex on Wednesday. ESA’s photograph offers a perspective from north to south. At the center of the image is we can see the smaller Pyramid of Menkaure, said to have been built to house the tomb of the fourth dynasty Egyptian pharaoh for which it is named. If we take a look to the left of Menakure, we will spot the larger pyramid of Khafre standing tall at 488 feet. Next to it, below and to the left of Khafre, we can spot the largest of the pyramids at the Giza plateau, the Great Pyramid of Giza, aka the Pyramid of Khufu. It is believed that the Great Pyramid of Giza was built thousands of years ago by the ancient Egyptians which erected the stunning monument in around 20 years. The structure is believed to have been completed in 2560 BC. Thousands of years ago, the ancient builders of the Pyramid used more than 2,300,000 stone blocks that weigh from 2 to 50 tons each to build a structure that would stand the test of time. The outer mantle of the Great Pyramid of Giza was composed of 144,000 casing stones, all of them highly polished and flat to an accuracy of 1/100th of an inch, about 100 inches thick and weighing approximately 15 tons each.