Stunning infrared images taken by satellites and drones worldwide capture the abstract beauty of Earth’s landscapes from above.
Collated by the U.S. Geological Survey and NASA the images, collected for scientific purposes, show a painterly quality to the shapes and colours observed across several continents.
The project, Earth As Art, began in the early 2000s after scientists found the visual data they were collecting from satellites had more value than just their scientific data, and should be available to everyone living on Earth.
Jon Christopherson, a founder of the project said: ‘Our goal for the first one was, wouldn’t it be neat if everybody could look at all these images as art and only afterwards we tell them they’re actually pictures of the Earth.’
Satellite and drone images below show not only the wavelengths of light visible to the human eye but the wavelengths that Landsat sensors detect in the infrared electromagnetic spectrum – which helps to create the vibrancy of the colours featured as well as providing more comprehensive data for researchers.
It is a hoped that the project will help educate the public on the value of satellite imagery.
