Launched a year ago on Feb. 11, the Landsat 8 satellite has been capturing incredible images of Earth. As beautiful as these images are, the true value of this satellite lies in its connection to the past. The Landsat mission, launched by NASA and operated by the USGS, is in its 42nd continuous year of recording the state of the Earth’s surface. The longevity of this dataset is unparalleled and has truly changed our understanding of the ever-changing life of our planet.
Landsat 8 is also far more capable than its older sibling, adding more instruments and more scientific possibilities than ever before. And yes, the images just keep getting more beautiful too. Here are some of our favourites from the satellite’s first year in orbit.
1. Composite map of the United States
This 11-billion-pixel composite map of the United States was made by analyzing a month's worth of data from Landsat 8. In that amount of time, the satellite covered the area in 115-mile wide strips two times over. The most cloud-free pixels were chosen for the final, nearly cloudless image. Photos by David Roy, USGS-NASA WELD product. (More info and high resolution version)
2. Piqiang Fault
Look closely at the centre of this image and you will see a line cutting through in a nearly north-south direction. The line is the Piqiang fault, south of the Tien Shan mountains in China. The fault is a strike-slip fault that moved the ground on the right side of the image toward the north relative to the left side, and you can clearly see the colourfully striped terrain has been offset. Photos by Robert Simmon and Jesse Allen, NASA/USGS. (More info and high resolution version)
3. Mount Shasta
Mount Shasta is uncharacteristically bare of snow in this image taken by Landsat 8 on Jan. 4, 2014. This is an ominous sign for drought-stricken California, which depends on snowpack to fill its reservoirs in the spring. Photos by Robert Simmon, NASA/USGS. (More info and high resolution version)
4. The London Array
The white dots laid out in a grid in this image taken by Landsat 8 on April 28, 2013 are part of the world's largest wind farm, known as the London Array. The farm is 12 miles off the coast of Great Britain where the Thames enters the North Sea. The array is made up of 175 turbines in a 40-square-mile area. Photos by Jesse Allen and Robert Simmon, NASA/USGS. (More info and high resolution version)
5. Clearwater Lakes
Clearwater Lakes in northwestern Quebec, Canada, shown here in an image taken by Landsat 8 on June 29, 2013, were created when two big asteroids hit Earth around 290 million years ago. Photos by Robert Simmon and Jesse Allen, NASA/USGS. (More info and high resolution version)
6. The Grand Canyon
In this image of the Grand Canyon captured by Landsat 8 on March 30, 2013, the river is a brown line, muddy from spring run-off. Photos by Robert Simmon, NASA/USGS. (More info and high resolution version)
7. Pine Island Glacier
A large iceberg breaks off of Antarctica's Pine Island glacier in this image taken by Landsat 8 on Nov. 13, 2013. The berg was dubbed B-31 and was estimated to be 21 by 12 miles across. Photos by Holli Riebeek, NASA/USGS. (More info and high resolution version)
8. Peruvian Amazon Deforestation
Landsat 8 spotted new deforestation in the Peruvian Amazon on Aug. 28, 2013 after American scientists received a tip from colleagues in South America. Photos by Jesse Allen and Robert Simmon, NASA/USGS. (More info and high resolution version)
9. Salton Sea
The Salton Sea and surrounding farmland captured by Landsat 8 on March 24, 2013. Photos by Matthew Montanaro and Robert Simmon, NASA/USGS. (More info and high resolution version)
10. South Platte River
The South Platte River is 6 feet above flood stage near Greeley, Colorado in this image taken by Landsat 8 on Sep. 17, 2013. Photos by Jesse Allen and Robert Simmon, NASA/USGS. (More info and high resolution version)
11. Paluweh Volcano
Paluweh Island in Indonesia erupts on Sep. 4, 2013 in this image captured by Landsat 8. Photos by Jesse Allen and Robert Simmon, NASA/USGS. (More info and high resolution version)
12. Yosemite Valley
The burn scar from the Rim fire that burned more than 255,000 acres in the Yosemite area in August can be seen in grey in this image captured on Sep. 16, 2013 by Landsat 8. Photos by Robert Simmon, NASA/USGS. (More info and high resolution version)
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