The lidless eyes of the satellites circle the Earth, looking down upon the surface. The images that satellites like the U.S. Geological Survey’s Landsat 7 become instant feedback about our effect on the planet, how the Earth is shaped by processes both human and natural. But as this collection of photos from an exhibition at the Library of Congress in Washington shows, satellite image can be made into art as well. Band combinations and shades in these Landsat images were optimized to dramatize their appearance, to show off the colors and the contrasts of the Earth. The result is breathtaking.
The Earth as Art: Satellite Images of Our Planet from Orbit
USGS / NASA
LAKE DISAPPOINTMENT, AUSTRALIA - 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.
