Burning Man attracts thousands of people each year. The annual music and art festival takes over the Black Rock Desert in Nevada with not only crowds of people, but also with tents, installations, vehicles, and large-scale works of art. Despite its ephemeral nature, the event is large enough to be noticeable from a distance—even from space. The European Space Agency (ESA) just released an image of how Burning Man looks like from one of their satellites.
The 2024 edition of Burning Man saw over 70,000 people, which gathered from August 25 to September 2. The picture was taken from orbit on August 26, the second day of the event, capturing the scene once attendants had settled in. The photograph depicts the area of camper vans and tents grouped together as dark rocky landscapes frame the edges. Meanwhile, the white alkali flats stretch across the composition. The semi-circular, temporary desert community takes center stage, appearing like an otherworldly vision.
The photograph was captured by the ESA’s Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission, which is based on a constellation of two identical satellites. These devices fly in the same orbit, but 180° apart, allowing them to cover all of Earth’s land and coastal waters every five days.
“Stretching and uplifting of Earth’s crust over the past 17 million years have resulted in a recurrent pattern of valleys and rugged north-south mountain ranges, like those visible in brown around the sandy area,” the ESA says in a statement. “Less than two weeks after launch, Sentinel-2C has delivered its stunning first images, proving that the satellite is not only working as expected, but has already surpassed expectations.”
With this image, the ESA manages a seemingly impossible feat—capturing the vast scale and beauty of the festival, something commendable given that Burning Man Festival only lasts for a few days in a 5.62-mile plot of land. After all, this is part of the charm that inspires people from far and wide to make the trip to the desert each year.
To stay up to date with more compelling images shot by satellites and telescopes, you can follow the ESA on Instagram.
The European Space Agency (ESA) just released an image of what Burning Man looks like from space.
The 2024 edition of Burning Man saw over 70,000 people, which gathered from August 25 to September 2.
European Space Association: Website
h/t: [PetaPixel]
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