About this map
A plain-language guide to map projections, and why the Mercator standard stretches the world in ways that can catch you off guard.
The range rings around the launch site probably look larger and more elongated than you'd expect. That's not an error — it's a well-known consequence of the map style being used.
This app uses the Mercator projection, invented in 1569 for maritime navigators. It's the same projection used by Google Maps, Apple Maps, and most browser-based mapping tools. Its defining property: compass bearings are always accurate. A straight line on a Mercator map is a true navigational heading.
Africa is larger than Greenland — they look the same size on Mercator
Australia is bigger than Greenland — you wouldn't know it from the map
The poles cannot be shown at all — they'd be infinitely large
The rings represent true distances from the launch site — calculated correctly in real-world kilometres. But because Mercator inflates areas as you move away from the equator, the rings appear to balloon outward as they reach Russia, Europe, and East Asia.
On a globe they'd be perfect circles. On this map they become elongated ovals — especially the outer rings. The same effect is why a flight path from London to Los Angeles appears curved on a flat map, yet is actually the shortest possible route.
This 4-minute Vox video is the clearest visual primer available — widely used by educators and journalists.
Why all world maps are wrong
Johnny Harris cuts open an inflatable globe to show why flattening a sphere always creates distortion — then explains why Mercator became the standard, what it gets wrong about size, and what alternatives exist. The clearest 4-minute primer available.