Earth satellite photos turned into fantastic art [22 Pics]

By on February 1, 2011 in Arial Photography, Art, Environment, Featured, Nasa, Nature, Space

W8kht Earth satellite photos turned into fantastic art [22 Pics]

1

Earth Art: Islandic Tiger – The Eyjafjorour Fjord, Iceland
This stretch of Iceland’s northern coast resembles a tiger’s head complete with stripes of orange, black, and white. The tiger’s mouth is the great Eyjafjorour, a deep fjord that juts into the mainland between steep mountains. The name means “island fjord,” derived from the tiny, tear-shaped Hrisey Island near its mouth. The ice-free port city of Akureyri lies near the fjord’s narrow tip, and is Iceland’s second largest population center after the capital, Reykjavik.

Image taken by Landsat 7 on Oct. 21, 1999
Earth Art Photo: USGS/NASA

Earth satellite photos turned into fantastic art [22 Pics]



Introduction

These images are actual pictures of the Earth, created by printing visible and infrared data in colors visible to the human eye. Band combinations and colors were chosen to optimize their dramatic appearance. The U.S. Geological Survey’s Earth Resources Observation Systems (EROS) Data Center in South Dakota is the primary receiving station for Landsat 7 data, and it distributes these data to researchers around the world. This article showcases Landsat 7 images, from the collection of Landsat photographs held in the Geography and Map Division, which have been selected for aesthetic rather than scientific value.

Hint: Use “J” and “K” keys to navigate from picture to picture.

GznoK Earth satellite photos turned into fantastic art [22 Pics]

2

Earth Art: 3D Black Hills, South Dakota, USA
While working as a student intern at the Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center, Mark Fersdal created this west-looking perspective of the Black Hills of South Dakota by mosaicking four scenes of the Black Hills. Earth Art Photo: USGS/NASA/Mark Fersdal

s3Spv Earth satellite photos turned into fantastic art [22 Pics]

3

Earth Art: Bogda Mountains
The Turpan Depression, nestled at the foot of China’s Bogda Mountains, is a strange mix of salt lakes and sand dunes, and is one of the few places in the world that lies below sea level.
Image taken by Landsat 7 on Sep. 1, 1999
Earth Art Photo: USGS/NASA

I6ZKn Earth satellite photos turned into fantastic art [22 Pics]

4

Earth Art: Cabo San Antonio
Several hundred kilometers southeast of Buenos Aires, Cabo San Antonio juts out into the Atlantic Ocean along the Argentinean Coast.
Image taken by Landsat 7 on Nov. 21, 2002
Earth Art Photo: USGS/NASA

jScGP Earth satellite photos turned into fantastic art [22 Pics]

5

Earth Art: Campeche
Named after the ancient Mayan Province of Kimpech, the state of Campeche comprises much of the western half of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula. Rivers in southern Campeche drain into the immense Terminos Lagoon, the entrance to which is protected by a long barrier island, Isla Del Carmen.
Image taken by ASTER on May. 2, 2002
Earth Art Photo: USGS/NASA

DQLSt Earth satellite photos turned into fantastic art [22 Pics]

6

Earth Art: Colima Volcano
Snow-capped Colima Volcano, the most active volcano in Mexico, rises abruptly from the surrounding landscape in the state of Jalisco. Colima is actually a melding of two volcanoes, the older Nevado de Colima to the north and the younger, historically more active Volcan de Colima to the south. Legend has it that gods sit atop the volcano on thrones of fire and ice.

Image taken by ASTER on Feb. 6, 2003
Earth Art Photo: USGS/NASA

fQwaj Earth satellite photos turned into fantastic art [22 Pics]

7

Earth Art: Delta Region, Netherlands
Along the southern coast of the Netherlands, sediment-laden rivers have created a massive delta of islands and waterways in the gaps between coastal dunes. After unusually severe spring tides devastated this region in 1953, the Dutch built an elaborate system of dikes, canals, dams, bridges, and locks to hold back the North sea.
Image taken by ASTER on Sep. 24, 2002
Earth Art Photo: USGS/NASA

5GYPB Earth satellite photos turned into fantastic art [22 Pics]

8

Earth Art: Demini River, Brazil
A marsh-like area borders the Demini River in northwestern Brazil. The Demini eventually joins the Amazon River.
Image taken on March 15, 2000
Earth Art Photo: USGS/NASA

RAMWl Earth satellite photos turned into fantastic art [22 Pics]

9

Earth Art: Desolation Canyon
Utah’s Green River flows south across the Tavaputs Plateau (top) before entering Desolation Canyon (center). The Canyon slices through the Roan and book Cliffs – two long, staircase-like escarpments. Nearly as deep as the Grand Canyon, Desolation Canyon is one of the largest unprotected wilderness areas in the American West.
Image taken by Landsat 7 on Dec. 31, 2000
Earth Art Photo: USGS/NASA

GZAMs Earth satellite photos turned into fantastic art [22 Pics]

10

Earth Art: Ganges River Delta
The Ganges River forms an extensive delta where it empties into the Bay of Bengal. The delta is largely covered with a swamp forest known as the Sunderbans, which is home to the Royal Bengal Tiger.
Image taken on Feb. 28, 2000
Earth Art Photo: USGS/NASA

w1r79 Earth satellite photos turned into fantastic art [22 Pics]

11

Earth Art: Negro River, Brazil
Fed by multiple waterways, Brazil’s Negro River is the Amazon River’s largest tributary. The mosaic of partially-submerged islands visible in the channel disappears when rainy season downpours raise the water level.
Image taken by Landsat 7 on Aug. 31, 2000
Earth Art Photo: USGS/NASA

NpAGe Earth satellite photos turned into fantastic art [22 Pics]

12

Earth Art: Kamchatka Peninsula
The eastern side of Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula juts into the Pacific Ocean west of Alaska. In this winter image, a volcanic terrain is hidden under snow-covered peaks and valley glaciers feed blue ice into coastal waters.
Image taken by ASTER on Feb. 17, 2002
Earth Art Photo: USGS/NASA

DsWHA Earth satellite photos turned into fantastic art [22 Pics]

13

Earth Art: Lake Disappointment
Surrounded by sand dunes, Lake Disappointment is an ephemeral salt lake in one of the most remote areas of Western Australia. An early explorer supposedly named the lake in 1897 after following a number of creeks that he thought would lead to a large lake; they did, but the lake’s extremely salty water was not drinkable.
Image taken by ASTER on Dec. 31, 2000
Earth Art Photo: USGS/NASA

AL9jz Earth satellite photos turned into fantastic art [22 Pics]

14

Earth Art: Malaspina Glacier
The tongue of the Malaspina Glacier, the largest glacier in Alaska, fills most of this image. The Malaspina lies west of Yakutat Bay and covers 1,500 sq. MI (3,880 sq. km).
Image taken on Aug. 31, 2000
Earth Art Photo: USGS/NASA

DjiuP Earth satellite photos turned into fantastic art [22 Pics]

15

Earth Art: Namib Desert, Namibia
Namib-Naukluft National Park is an ecological preserve in Namibia’s vast Namib Desert. Coastal winds create the tallest sand dunes in the world here, with some dunes reaching 980 feet (300 meters) in height.
Image taken on Aug. 12, 2000
Earth Art Photo: USGS/NASA

KsqlO Earth satellite photos turned into fantastic art [22 Pics]

16

Earth Art: Niger River, Massina Mali
Coursing through parched, landlocked Mali in Western Africa, the Niger River skirts the edge of the dune-striped Sahara before turning sharply south to join the Bani River. At the confluence of the two rivers is an inland delta complete with narrow, twisting waterways, lagoons, and tiny islands.
Image taken by ASTER on Feb. 8, 2003
Earth Art Photo: USGS/NASA

4dz5p Earth satellite photos turned into fantastic art [22 Pics]

17

Earth Art: Syrian Desert
Between the fertile Euphrates River valley and the cultivated lands of the eastern Mediterranean coast, the Syrian Desert covers parts of modern Syria, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Iraq.
Image taken by Landsat 7 on Nov. 6, 2000
Earth Art Photo: USGS/NASA

qGOdJ Earth satellite photos turned into fantastic art [22 Pics]

18

Earth Art: Terkezi Oasis
A series of rocky outcroppings are a prominent feature of this Sahara Desert landscape near the Terkezi Oasis in the country of Chad.
Image taken by Landsat 7 on Oct. 22, 2000
Earth Art Photo: USGS/NASA

MvQZb Earth satellite photos turned into fantastic art [22 Pics]

19

Earth Art: Vatnajökull Glacier Ice Cap
Valley glaciers appear as fingers of blue ice reaching out from the Vatnajökull Glacier in Iceland’s Skaftafell National Park. The park lies on the southern edge of Vatnajökull, Europe’s largest icecap.
Image taken by Landsat 7 on Aug. 4, 1999
Earth Art Photo: USGS/NASA

mSUOr Earth satellite photos turned into fantastic art [22 Pics]

20

Earth Art: Volcanoes, Chile – Argentine
Steep-sided volcanic cones along the Chilean-Argentinean border add texture to this “study in blue.” Of approximately 1800 volcanoes scattered across this region, 28 are active.
Image taken by ASTER on Feb. 1, 2002
Earth Art Photo: USGS/NASA

w5cna Earth satellite photos turned into fantastic art [22 Pics]

21

Earth Art: Volga River Delta
Where the Volga River flows into the Caspian Sea, it creates an extensive delta. The Volga Delta is comprised of more than 500 channels, and sustains the most productive fishing grounds in Eurasia.
Image taken by Landsat 7 on Aug. 29, 2000
Earth Art Photo: USGS/NASA

8ilR6 Earth satellite photos turned into fantastic art [22 Pics]

22

Earth Art: West Fjords, Island
The West Fjords are a series of peninsulas in northwestern Iceland. They represent less than one-eighth the country’s land area, but their jagged perimeter accounts for more than half of Iceland’s total coastline.
Image taken on June 6, 2000
Earth Art Photo: USGS/NASA




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15 Responses to Earth satellite photos turned into fantastic art [22 Pics]

  1. Harry February 1, 2011 at 1:38 am #

    Awesome images!

    Reply
  2. Jodi February 1, 2011 at 7:55 am #

    A purple Ganges, love it!

    Reply
  3. Nidre February 2, 2011 at 3:44 am #

    Fantastic!

    Some of them looking like digitally created.Hard to believe that they are just earth satelite photos.

    Reply
  4. dwik February 3, 2011 at 8:26 pm #

    nice picture…great view from the earth…:)

    Reply
  5. Fred February 9, 2011 at 2:56 am #

    To the person who was wondering whether these ‘photos’ are digitally edited. Well, you should know that any satellite image is a “false colour” image by definition. These images are recorded by satellite-mounted sensors in separate spectral bands and the individual colour components are then composited. If the results ends up looking “natural” (e.g. water is blue, forests are green, sand is yellow) it just means the artist has chosen a colour palette suitable for that effect. If a river looks purple, the artist simply hasn’t spent too much time making it look “natural”.
    So keep in mind, that these are all digitally edited, because the camera in space doesn’t “see” visible light as we know it! Hope that a bit clearer now. Cheers :)

    Reply
  6. alan February 13, 2011 at 8:30 pm #

    J ust think—– this has been going and going for billions of years and we just a nano second.

    Reply
  7. Adia February 16, 2011 at 7:32 am #

    Subhanallah, Allah is the great creator…

    Reply
  8. Monet March 23, 2011 at 10:33 am #

    It’s amazing, is it real photo’s

    Reply
    • Master Trigger March 23, 2011 at 11:27 am #

      Yes, they are real satellite photos but they have added color to them.

      Reply
  9. anastacia April 28, 2011 at 9:10 pm #

    WOW. Thank you so much for the pictures, it is very inspiring and teaches us to appreciate what’s around us. Thank you for all your work!

    Reply
  10. Les Winick September 30, 2011 at 7:33 pm #

    I would have liked to see a major city, like New York, London or Moscow and how they look at that distance.
    Is a skyscraper really a sky scraper?

    Reply
  11. san antonio plumbing April 22, 2012 at 10:37 pm #

    I have to say that for the last couple of hours i have been hooked by the impressive posts on this site. Keep up the wonderful work.

    Reply

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