Interactive Panoramic Photo From 2,717 Feet, Atop The Burj Khalifa

By Nick Venable | Published

This article is more than 2 years old

Khalifa

There are a lot of good things about Dubai, and most of them are gloriously drenched in and fueled by avaricious excess. The Burj Khalifa is the tallest building in the world, a marvel of architecture, commerce, and luxury, and its peak is somehow even higher than Wiz Khalifa. Is it okay to make weed-laced hip-hop jokes on this site? You’ll forget all about it after you look at this image anyway.

The Emirate of Dubai has released an amazing interactive, panoramic image from the top of the tower, 2,717 feet in the air. Or at least, from a camera atop a mechanized tripod somewhere near the top. Forty-eight panoramic images taken from that camera were combined with another 22 images to give a complete 360-degree, high-definition spin around the top of the city. If I got vertigo, there is no doubt I’d be on all fours, clutching the carpet for stability.

It brings to mind Felix Baumgartner’s skydive from the edge of space, and this can be simulated if you have a friend zooming in on the ground as you run at your computer screen from across the room. But I don’t recommend it.

You can take a look at the video below, which does a good job of nailing the scope involved with such massive heights, but it’s nowhere near as fun as messing around with the interactive photo yourself. It’s probably the most impressive display I’ve ever seen. Do you agree?