29 Breathtaking Satellite Photos That Will Change How You See Our World

Daily Overview is a new project that shares satellite photos from Digital Globes a day in an attempt to change the way we see our planet Earth. The project was inspired by the Overview Effect experience, a cognitive shift of perspective and worldview experienced by the astronauts when they see the planet Earth from space for the first time.

The people behind this beautiful project, “satellite photos,” write: “The mesmerizing flatness seen from this vantage point, the surprising comfort of systematic organization on a massive scale, or the vibrant colors we capture will hopefully turn your head.”

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01. Bourtange, Vlagtwedde, Netherlands

53.0066°N 7.1920°E.

Bourtange is a village with a population of 430 in the municipality of Vlagtwedde in the Netherlands. The star fort was built in 1593 during the Eighty Years’ War when William I of Orange wanted to control the only road between Germany and the city of Groningen. Bourtange was restored to its mid-18th-century state in 1960 and is currently used as an open-air museum.

02. Barcelona, Spain

41°23′27″N 2°09′47″E

03. 309th Aerospace Maintenance And Regeneration Group Tucson, Arizona, USA

32.170890°N 110.855184°W

04. Central Park, New York City, New York, USA

40°46’56” N; 73°57’55” W.

Central Park in New York City spans 843 acres. That’s 6% of the island of Manhattan.

05. The Great Wall Of China, Northern China

40.67693°N 117.23193°E

06. Desert Shores Community, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

36.211001, -115.266914.

The Desert Shores Community in Las Vegas, Nevada, contains 3,351 units and four man-made lakes.

07. New Bullards Bar Reservoir, Yuba County, California

39.42903°N 121.13010°W

08. Residential Development, Killeen, Texas, USA

31.079844, -97.80145.

In 2013, there were 923,400 home construction projects in the United States.

09. Venice, Italy – Satellite Photos

45°26′15″N 12°20′9″E

10. Vineyards, Huelva, Spain

37°42′12″N 6°36′10″W.

Vineyards swirl on the hills of Huelva, Spain. The climate there is ideal for grape growing, with an average temperature of 64 degrees and relative humidity between 60% and 80%.

11. Plasticulture / Greenhouses, Almeria, Spain

36.78234°N 2.74315°W.

Plasticulture refers to the practice of using plastic materials in agricultural applications. This is visible in the plains and valleys of Almeria, Spain, where these greenhouse structures cover nearly 20,000 hectares.

12. Durrat Al Bahrain, Bahrain

25°50′17″N 50°36′18″E.

Durrat Al Bahrain will have 15 connected artificial islands (including six atolls, five fish-shaped and two crescent-shaped). Construction costs are estimated at $6 billion, and the project is slated for completion in mid-2015.

13. Amazon Rainforest Deforestation, Para, Brazil

5°40′S 52°44′W.

Clearcutting operations in the Amazon Rainforest of Para, Brazil, branch out from one of the state’s central roads.

14. Port Newark-Elizabeth Marine Terminal, Newark, New Jersey, USA

40°40′54″N 74°09′02″W

15. Boca Raton, Florida, USA

26°22′7″N 80°6′0″W

16. Venture Out RV Resort, Mesa, Arizona, USA

33.411791, -111.723591

17. Port of Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA

33°43′45″N 118°15′43″W

18. Puente de Vallecas, Madrid, Spain

40.398204°N 3.669059°W

19. Agricultural Development, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

9°1′48″N 38°44′24″E

20. Our Lady of Almudena Cemetery, Madrid, Spain

40°25′10″N 3°38′26″W.

Our Lady of Almudena Cemetery in Madrid, Spain, is one of the largest cemeteries in the world. The number of gravesites – estimated at five million – is greater than the population of Madrid itself.

21. Palm Island / Hibiscus Island, Miami Beach, Florida, USA

25.783216°N 80.16052°W.

Palm Island and Hibiscus Islands are two man-made islands in Miami Beach, Florida. While the residential neighborhoods on the islands have some of the highest property values in the city, they are also among the first places ordered to evacuate in advance of a hurricane.

22. Inman Yard, Atlanta, Georgia, USA

33.800083, -84.451936.

The Norfolk Southern Railway operates 21,300 miles of track in 22 states, primarily in the Southeastern US. Inman Yard in Atlanta, Georgia, pictured here, is one of the significant railyards that houses a portion of the operation’s 3,648 locomotives and 79,082 freight cars.

23. Spaghetti Junction (A-3 and M-50), Madrid, Spain

40.360051, -3.564548.

The A-3 and M-50 highways come together in an interwoven crossroads southeast of Madrid, Spain. This structure is commonly called a “spaghetti junction.”

24. Agricultural Development, Loxahatchee, Florida, USA

25. Brøndby Haveby, Brønby Municipality, Denmark

55 ° 38′ 12.836031 “N, 12 ° 23′ 58.386726″ E

26. Terraced Rice Paddies, Yuanyang County, Yunnan, China

23°09′32″N 102°44′41″E.

For the past 1300 years, the Hani people of Yuanyang County, China, have cultivated spectacular, terraced rice patties on mountainsides.

27. Clearcutting in the El Dorado National Forest, Georgetown, California, USA

38°45′01″N 120°20′00″W.

20-acre clearcutting tracts in the El Dorado National Forest.

28. Edson, Kansas, USA

39°20′14″N 101°32′26″W

29. Central Pivot Irrigation Fields. Ha’il, Saudi Arabia

27°31′N 41°41′E.

These circular patterns occur as crops are watered by overhead sprinklers, mounted to motor-driven, rotating towers that distribute water evenly throughout the fields.

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