If you think the roads are crowded, take a look at what space looks like.  Space.com has released the above image illustrating the over 19,000 man-made items floating around our planet that's larger than 4 inches.  Many more smaller than 4 inch items are also up there.

Each dot represents a bit of known space junk that's at least 4 inches (10 cm) orbiting Earth. Note the distinctive outer ring, known as a geostationary orbit, where weather and communication satellites orbit at the same rate that the Earth turns, allowing them to remain over a single spot on Earth at all times. The concentration of dots obscuring Earth in the center of the image represent debris in low-Earth orbit. In total, some 19,000 manmade objects this size or bigger orbit Earth as of July 2009; most are in low-Earth orbit. Countless smaller objects are also circling the planet. Credit: NASA/Orbital Debris Program Office.

Space Junk Problem Visualized

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