Point Nemo: the spot in the ocean so remote the nearest humans are usually astronauts
At the ocean's most isolated point, the closest people are often orbiting overhead, not standing on any shore.
In the empty South Pacific lies Point Nemo, the spot on Earth furthest from any coastline. NOAA places it at 48°52.6′S 123°23.6′W, roughly 2,688 kilometres from the nearest land in every direction.
That nearest land is not a continent but three scattered specks: Ducie Island in the Pitcairn group to the north, Motu Nui near Easter Island to the northeast, and ice-bound Maher Island off Antarctica to the south. All sit about the same vast distance away, leaving a circle of open water larger than many nations.
When the International Space Station passes over, its crew can be the closest people to anyone at Point Nemo.
The reason is geometry. The ISS orbits only around 415 kilometres up, so astronauts streaking overhead are nearer than any sailor on the horizon. The name nods to Jules Verne’s submarine captain — “nemo” is Latin for “no one.” Its emptiness also makes it a spacecraft graveyard, where agencies steer retired satellites and stations, including Russia’s Mir, down to rest.
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