This new collection of 20 images debuts at the Pecora Symposium this week, a forum established by the USGS and NASA to foster the exchange of scientific information and results derived from applications of Earth observing data.

The Earth As Art project began in the early 2000s, and its original intent remains the same: to produce images that do not look like satellite images at first glance.

According to Jon Christopherson, Principal System Engineer for the contractor KBR, and one of the project’s founders, “Our goal for the first one was, ‘Wouldn’t it be neat if everybody could look at all these images as art and only afterward we tell them, you know, they’re actually pictures of the Earth.’”

A powerful outreach tool, Earth As Art helps to start conversations about satellite imagery of the Earth and educate the public about its value.

Earth As Art shows not only what satellites capture in the visible wavelengths of light you and I can see, but also what’s hiding in the invisible wavelengths that Landsat sensors can detect in the infrared part of the electromagnetic spectrum. Those combinations can bring out much more scientific value, but also can produce imagery of breathtaking beauty.

Earth As Art 6 even includes three images from USGS Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), otherwise known as drones. Sensors attached to a UAS also capture visible and infrared light, and have proven their value in monitoring change over time alongside their spaceborne partners. Besides, their images look great, too.

Enjoy the latest from Earth As Art!