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Satellite Image of Cancun Mexico Yucatan

June 24, 2013
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satellite image cancun mexico WorldView-2 (0.5m) Satellite Image of Cancun, Mexico, Yucatan Peninsula

Cancun located on the northeast coast of the Yucatán Peninsula in the Mexican state of Quintana Roo. It is a major world-renowned tourist destination, as well as being the seat of the municipality of Benito Juárez. The city is located on the Caribbean Sea, and is one of the easternmost points in Mexico. Cancún is located just north of Mexico’s Caribbean coast resort band known as the Riviera Maya.

Cancun is a tropical paradise that remains one of the world’s top tourist destinations. This comes as no surprise when you consider how much Cancun has to offer.

If you’re looking for a place with great weather, pumping nightlife, many accommodation options and some of the coolest activities in Mexico, Cancun is where you want to be.

Home to the world’s second largest barrier reef, Cancun is an ideal place for scuba diving and snorkeling. More information on Cancun, visit here.

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Manmade Structures • Natural Disasters

Satellite Image of Moore Oklahoma Tornado Damage

May 26, 2013
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(Left image) Pleiades-1A (0.5m) Satellite Image of Moore Oklahoma – Pre Tornado April 29, 2013

(Right image) WorldView-2 (0.5m) Satellite Image of Moore Oklahoma Tornado Damage Post F5 Tornado Damage – May 22, 2013

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The satellite image show the before and after tornado damage of a massive F5 tornado that hit Moore, Oklahoma on Monday May 20th with winds exceeding 200 miles per hour, leaving a trail of destruction 17 miles long and 1.3 miles.

The estimated peak wind ranged from 200 to 210 mph, which would make it an EF5, the most powerful category for a tornado.

Taking innocent lives and leaving damages estimated to be over $2 billion, making this storm the most expensive in the state’s history.

Satellite Image Mosaic – Path of Destruction of F5 Tornado in Moore, Oklahoma May 22, 2013

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Beaches • Manmade Structures • Popular Destinations

Satellite Image of Royal Atlas Hotel in Morocco

March 4, 2013
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GeoEye-1 (0.5m) Satellite Image of Royal Atlas Hotel in Agadir, Morocco

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Morocco with mild winter climates and good beaches have made it a major “winter sun” destination for Northern Europeans. The city is located on the shore of the Atlantic Ocean, near the foot of the Atlas Mountains, just north of the point where the Souss River flows into the ocean. Agadir is an important fishing and commercial port, one of the first major sardine ports in the world. The city is also known for its exports of cobalt, manganese, zinc and citrus products. It is also a seaside resort with a long sandy beach. Because of its large buildings, wide roads, modern hotels, and European-style cafés, Agadir is not a typical city of traditional Morocco, but a modern, busy and dynamic town. Read more about Agadir…

Ancient Sites • Manmade Structures • Popular Destinations • Seven Wonders of the World • World Heritage Sites

Satellite Image of Rome Italy

January 23, 2013
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GeoEye-1 (0.5m) Satellite Image of Rome Italy

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Rome’s history spans more than two and a half thousand years, since its founding in 753 BC, with the union of rural villages. It was the capital city of the Roman Kingdom, the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire, which was the dominant power in Western Europe and the lands bordering the Mediterranean for over seven hundred years from the 1st century BC until the 7th century AD and the city is regarded as one of the birthplaces of western civilization. Read more about Rome..

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Colosseum

Emperor Vespasian, founder of the Flavian Dynasty, started construction of the Colosseum in 72 AD. It was completed in 80 AD, the year after Vespasian’s death. The Colosseum, or the Coliseum, originally the Flavian Amphitheatre is an elliptical amphitheatre in the centre of the city of Rome, Italy, the largest ever built in the Roman Empire, built of concrete and stone. It is considered one of the greatest works of Roman architecture and Roman engineering.

The Colosseum was used for gladiatorial contests and public spectacles such as mock sea battles, animal hunts, executions, re-enactments of famous battles, and dramas based on Classical mythology. The building ceased to be used for entertainment in the early medieval era. It was later reused for such purposes as housing, workshops, quarters for a religious order, a fortress, a quarry, and a Christian shrine. Read more about the Colosseum…

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To view the Colosseum in a 360 degree panoramic view, visit here.

Altare della Patria

The Victor Emmanuel II monument – The Monumento Nazionale a Vittorio Emanuele II (National Monument to Victor Emmanuel II) or Altare della Patria (Altar of the Fatherland) or “Il Vittoriano” is a monument built in honour of Victor Emmanuel, the first king of a unified Italy, located in Rome, Italy. It occupies a site between the Piazza Venezia and the Capitoline Hill. Read more on the Altare della Patria….

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Pantheon

The Pantheon an adjective meaning “(temple consecrated) to all gods” commissioned by Marcus Agrippa as a temple to all the gods of Ancient Rome. The building is circular with a portico of large granite Corinthian columns (eight in the first rank and two groups of four behind) under a pediment. A rectangular vestibule links the porch to the rotunda, which is under a coffered concrete dome, with a central opening (oculus) to the sky. Almost two thousand years after it was built, the Pantheon’s dome is still the world’s largest unreinforced concrete dome.

It is one of the best-preserved of all Roman buildings. It has been in continuous use throughout its history, and since the 7th century, the Pantheon has been used as a Roman Catholic church dedicated to “St. Mary and the Martyrs” but informally known as “Santa Maria della Rotonda. Read more about the Pantheon…

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Ancient Sites • Deserts • Disasters • Earth Art • Islands • Manmade Structures • Mountains • Popular Destinations • Seven Wonders of the World • World Heritage Sites

Satellite Images of the Seven Wonders of the World – New7Wonders

December 16, 2012
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In 2001 an initiative was started by the Swiss corporation New7Wonders Foundation to choose the Seven Wonders of the World (New7Wonders) from a selection of 200 existing monuments. Twenty-one finalists were announced January 1, 2006. The following images are made possible by cutting edge satellite imaging technology.

Petra – Jordan

IKONOS (0.8m) Satellite Image of Petra, Jordan

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Petra, Jordan meaning “Rock” in Greek is an archaeological site in Jordan, lying in a basin among the mountains which form the eastern flank of Arabah (Wadi Araba), the large valley running from the Dead Sea to the Gulf of Aqaba. It is famous for having many stone structures carved into the rock. The long-hidden site was revealed to the Western world by the Swiss explorer Johann Ludwig Burckhardt in 1812. The city was the principal city of ancient Nabataea and was famous above all for two things: its trade and its hydraulic engineering systems. It was locally autonomous until the reign of Trajan, but it flourished under Roman rule. © GeoEye and Courtesy of Satellite Imaging Corporation.

Machu, Picchu – Peru

IKONOS (0.8m) Satellite Image of Machu Picchu, Peru

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One of the most famous Incan cities in the world, sun alignments are found throughout Machu Picchu. Many features, including the Sacred Plaza, The Temple of Three Windows and The Intihuatana platform, align with the summer solstice azimuth of 65-245 degrees. Scientists believe these alignments were primary considerations in the construction of the shrines. A shaft of light, shining through an east-facing window, reportedly illuminates The Torreon, or Temple of the Sun, during the summer solstice. The city was built between 1460 and 1470 AD at an altitude of 8,000 feet. © GeoEye and Courtesy of Satellite Imaging Corporation.

Christ the Redeemer – Brazil

QuickBird (0.6m) Satellite Image of Christ the Redeemer

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Christ the Redeemer, a statue of Jesus Christ in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The statue stands 38 m (105 feet) tall, weighs 700 tons and is located at the peak of the 700-m (2296-foot) Corcovado mountain in the Tijuca Forest National Park at WGS84 Latitude: 22°57’5″S and Longitude: 43°12’39″W, overlooking the city. As well as being a potent symbol of the Roman Catholic Church, the statue has become an icon of Rio and Brazil. © DigitalGlobe and Courtesy of Satellite Imaging Corporation.

Great Wall of China

ASTER (15m) Satellite Image of The Great Wall of China

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The Great Wall started as earth works thrown up for protection by different States. The individual sections weren’t connected until the Qin dynasty (221-206 B.C.). It was during the Ming dynasty (1368-1644) that the Wall took on its present form. The brick and granite work was enlarged and sophisticated designs were added. The Ming Emperors, having overthrown the Hun dominance and expelled their Mongol rulers of the North devoted large portions of available material and manpower to making sure that they didn’t return. The Great Wall is the world’s longest human-made structure, stretching over approximately 6,400 km from Shanhai Pass in the east to Lop Nur in the west, along an arc that roughly delineates the southern edge of Inner Mongolia. It is also the largest human-made structure ever built in terms of surface area and mass. Satellite Image: NASA/Japanese Space Team.

Chichen Itza – Mexico

IKONOS (0.8m) Satellite Image of Chichen Itza

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In a spectacular show of shadow and light, a shadow representing the Feathered Serpent god Kukulkan slides down the northern stairway of Chichen Itza during sunset of the equinoxes and then vanishes. The square, stepped pyramid, built by Mayans in about 1000 to 1200 AD also has axes that orient with the rising point of the sun at the summer solstice and setting point during the winter solstice. Many think the pyramid also serves as a calendar. Each of the four faces of the pyramid has a stairway with 91 steps. With the addition of a shared step forming a platform at the top, this totals 365, the number of days in a year. The stairways also divide the nine terraces on each side into 18 segments, representing the 18 months of the Mayan calendar. © GeoEye and Courtesy of Satellite Imaging Corporation.

Taj Mahal – India

GeoEye-1 (0.5m) Satellite Image of Taj Mahal, India

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Located at the city of Agra in the State of Uttar Pradesh, the Taj Mahal is one of the most beautiful masterpieces of architecture in the world a style that combines elements of Persian, Turkish, Indian, and Islamic architectural styles. While the white domed marble mausoleum is the most familiar part of the monument, the Taj Mahal is actually an integrated complex of structures. Taj Mahal was built by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his favorite wife. © GeoEye and Courtesy of Satellite Imaging Corporation.

Colosseum, Rome – Italy

IKONOS (0.8m) Satellite Image of The Colosseum, Rome

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360 degree panoramic view

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The Colosseum/Coliseum, Rome, Italy was built from 72-80 A.D., the large, elliptical arena seats 50,000 spectators and represents one of the ancient Rome’s greatest architectural achievements. Completed in 81 AD, it is called the Coloseum after a colossal statue of Nero that once stood nearby. It was used for staged battles, sometimes between lions and Christians and other heretics, among other spectacles, and is one of the most famous pieces of architecture in the world. The structure covers about 6 acres (188m by 156m or 615 ft by 510 ft) and stands 48.5 m (158 ft) tall or about 15 stories and took ten years to build. Two of the remaining entrances were used by Emperor Titus and two for the gladiators. © GeoEye and Courtesy of Satellite Imaging Corporation.

Ancient Sites • Craters • Deserts • Disasters • Islands • Mountains • Mysteries • Natural Disasters • Popular Destinations • World Heritage Sites

Satellite Images of Impact Craters and Structures

December 9, 2012
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Satellite Image of Vredefort Crater, South Africa

Largest Impact Crater Found Around the World

300 km and 2.023 Billion Years

Coordinates – 27°0′S 27°30′E

Vredefort crater is the largest verified impact crater on Earth, more than 300 km across. It is located in the Free State Province of South Africa and named after the town of Vredefort, which is situated near its centre. The site is also known as the Vredefort Dome or Vredefort impact structure. In 2005 the Vredefort Dome was added to the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites for its geologic interest.

The asteroid that hit Vredefort is estimated to have been one of the largest ever to strike Earth (at least since the Hadean eon some four billion years ago). The asteroid is thought to have been approximately 5–10 km (3.1–6.2 mi) in diameter. The bolide that created the Sudbury Basin could have been even larger. The Vredefort Crater’s age is estimated to be 2.023 billion years (± 4 million years), which places it in the Paleoproterozoic era. It is the second-oldest known crater on Earth, a little less than 300 million years younger than the Suavjärvi Crater in Russia. In comparison, it is about 10% older than the Sudbury Basin impact (at 1.849 billion years). More information on the Vredefort Crater, visit here.

For more information and to view more impact craters, visit here.

Satellite Images and Photos of Impact Craters and Structures Around the World

El’gygytgyn Crater, Russian Far East Crater

Luizi Crater, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Beaches • Disasters • Manmade Structures • Natural Disasters

Satellite Image of Hurricane Sandy Destruction

November 5, 2012
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GeoEye-1 (0.5m) Satellite Image of Hurricane Sandy Destruction

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Hurricane Sandy was a hurricane that devastated portions of the Caribbean, Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, and Eastern Canada in late October 2012. The eighteenth named storm and tenth hurricane of the 2012 Atlantic hurricane season, Sandy was the largest Atlantic hurricane on record, as measured by diameter, with winds spanning 1,100 miles (1,800 km). Sandy is estimated in early calculations to have caused damage of at least $20 billion dollars.

Earth Art • Manmade Structures • Technology

Satellite Image of Goughan’s Corn Maze Liberty Bell

September 23, 2012
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GeoEye-1 Satellite Image Goughan’s Corn Maze of Liberty Bell in Caribou, Maine

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Goughan’s Annual Corn Maze, Caribou, Maine, USA I GeoEye-1 .50-meter I Collected September 11, 2012. This year’s patriotic theme at Goughan’s Berry Farm’s annual corn maze is captured from space in this GeoEye-1 image. For the last eight years, Mark Goughan has a new theme for the annual corn maze with this year’s depicting the Liberty Bell and a Freedom Eagle on top in honor of the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights. The public is invited to navigate the maze in the fall for two months. The corn is planted in the spring and the design is cut into the field when the corn is about 2 feet high.

Disasters • Manmade Structures

Satellite Image of World Trade Center Towers Memorial

September 10, 2012
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IKONOS (1m) Satellite Image of the World Trade Center Towers 911 Memorial

Manhattan, New York – August 26, 2011

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About the Memorial

National September 11 Memorial commemorates the September 11 attacks of 2001, and the World Trade Center bombing of 1993. The memorial is located at the World Trade Center site, on the former location of the Twin Towers destroyed during the attacks. The World Trade Center Memorial Foundation was renamed the National September 11 Memorial & Museum at the World Trade Center in 2007.

The National September 11 Memorial & Museum at the World Trade Center is a non-profit corporation with the mission to raise funds for program, own and operate the memorial and museum at the World Trade Center site. On September 11, 2011, a dedication ceremony was held at the memorial, commemorating the tenth anniversary of the attacks. The memorial officially opened to the public on September 12, 2011.

More information on the World Trade Center Towers 9/11 Memorial, visit here.

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