Images

“Seeing Our Planet Anew: Fifty Years of Landsat” was selected for the American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ASPRS) 2023 John I. Davidson President's Award for Practical Papers.

Landsat 9 captured a rare snowfall in China’s Taklimakan Desert on January 18, 2023. This image uses the shortwave infrared, near infrared, and red bands (B 6|5|4) to highlight the stark contrast between the desert sand and the snow-covered dunes. The sand appears reddish, while the snow is blue.

This natural color Landsat 8 image of the Sacramento Valley area shows the impacts of the relentless rains that impacted the area during the end of December and into the New Year. Turbid river water, saturated fields, and rising reservoirs can be seen near Stockton and Sacramento.

Landsat 2’s first light image captured Drayton Valley in Alberta, Canada on January 24, 1975. The discovery of the Pembina oil field in 1953 contributed to explosive growth in the sparsely populated area, with an increase from 75 individuals to 2,000. The boxed pattern seen here comes from the infrastructure for the oil and gas industry.

In the right wintry conditions, an ice bridge forms between the Diomede Islands in the Bering Strait. Theoretically, this is the only place where you can walk from Russia to the United States (and vice versa), however travel between one Diomede to the other is strictly forbidden.  

Nine consecutive rainstorms have poured on California since December 26, 2022, after three years of intensive drought.

This graphic displays the millions of Landsat Level-1 downloads, from 2008 to December 2022.

View more statistics on the Landsat Project Statistics page. 

Last year was monumental for the program, including celebrating its 50-year anniversary, transitioning a fully operational Landsat 9 to the USGS team, and extending the Landsat 7 science mission. In addition to these major events, we have included an interactive map showcasing events Landsat satellites captured this year from around the world.

This natural color Landsat 9 image (Bands 4|3|2) was acquired on December 13, 2022 and shows the Sacramento Valley and surrounding area.

Landsat 8’s first image captured the area where the Great Plains and Rocky Mountains meet in Colorado. The natural-color image shows the coniferous forest of the mountains coming down to the dormant plains. Boulder, Colorado, sits in the middle of the image.

Rare spotting! Dueling volcanoes captured by Landsat 9 satellite. Mauna Loa's 11.3-mile-long lava flow illuminates the plume of ash in the atmosphere above. The small red spot in the lower right is Kilauea—it began erupting nine days ago. USGS Volcanoes says a dual eruption has not occurred in Hawaii since 1984, making this a rare event.

For the first time in Landsat history, a trio of imaging satellites (Landsat 7, Landsat 8, and Landsat 9) have been recording thousands of images of the planet weekly. The trio has been working together since October 2021.

Learn more about the Landsat Program at www.usgs.gov/landsat

In 2022, President Joe Biden pardoned two turkeys, Chocolate and Chip. The two holiday birds hail from a ranch in Monroe, North Carolina.

Landsat 9 captured this image of the aftermath of Hurricane Ian in southwestern Florida on the morning of October 6, 2022. Sanibel Island is shown in the center, with breaches in the Sanibel Causeway that connects the island with the mainland. (White clouds also appear in this image.)

Landsat 9 captured this image of the aftermath of Hurricane Ian in eastern Florida on the morning of October 6, 2022. It shows the coast and New Smyrna Beach, which experienced extensive flooding.

Landsat 7 captured this image of the aftermath of Hurricane Ian in southwestern Florida, including floodwater and sediment in the ocean, on the morning of October 2, 2022. Sanibel Island is shown at the center with Fort Myers Beach and Cape Coral to the right. Naples is the gray urban area in the lower right.

On October 2, 2022, this gap-filled Landsat 7 image captured brownish-black sediment runoff from rivers and streams on the southwest coast of Florida. These are the first Landsat images after Hurricane Ian devastated the area on Wednesday, September 28. Water runoff can carry away debris, fertilizers, metals, and other pollutants.

A Landsat 9 natural color image (left) and the corresponding Landsat Provisional Aquatic Reflectance product (right) display the properties of a massive algal bloom across the surface waters of Lake Erie on September 9, 2022. 

By the end of December 2022, all Landsat Collection 1 data and science products will be removed from USGS data access platforms. This depreciation includes Level-1, Level-2, Level-3, and ESPA- related products. Collection 1 has not been updated with Landsat products since December 31, 2021.

The Landsat Science Team met at the USGS EROS Center August 9-11, 2022.  Visit the Landsat Science Team Meeting — August 9-11, 2022 webpage to view the agenda and download presentations. 

Landsat 7 image acquired on August 14, 2022 showing the Vall d'Ebo Fire near Pego, Spain. The gap-filled image is shown using the short wave infrared, near infrared, and red bands (Bands 5|4|3). This image was acquired as part of the Landsat 7 extended science mission which acquires data at 8 kilometers lower than the original science mission.