Fire & Ice… The red hue comes from the iron oxide which is plentiful in this area of the Namib dessert of Namibia. BUT, the colors are not quite realistic. This is one of the European Space Agency satellite photos that have been recolored as part of an art/science collaborative exhibition called Spaceship Earth.
Here the location via Google maps if you are curious: link.
And here a few more of my favorite images from taken from ESA satellite:
One of the best methods to view the magnificence of Earth is to step outside the confines of gravity and get a “bird’s eye view.” These high-resolution satellite images chosen by Yann Arthus-Bertrand and printed in his new book, “Earth from Space“, display amazing patterns and textures of the ever-changing world below. Yann has a keen eye for aerial photography and is also a devoted environmental activist. In fact, a major focus of the book is a discussion of the sobering impact of pollution, deforestation, etc…
However, I am more drawn to the beauty of the selected images. It’s amazing to see how the rivers cut through the Earth and how farm land creates extensive geometric patterns.
El laberinto del Minotauro (The Minotaur’s Labyrinth)
Huellas de gigante (Giant Footprints)
Isla arbolada (Wooded Island)
Río doble (Twin River)
Sopetón (Abruptly)
“Our world should be called Water not Earth” – Hector Garrido
As we continue our exploration for water on Mars, I thought it would be nice to share Spanish photographer Hector Garrido’s aerial photographs of the effects of water on Earth. Most planetary scientists make the claim that liquid water is a necessary component for the creation of life as we know it. The biochemical reactions that sustain life need a fluid to work, so even ice and water vapor won’t do the trick. In a liquid, molecules can dissolve and necessary chemical reactions can occur. It is for this reason that NASA searches the vastness of space for evidence of liquid water.
And in regards to these images, Hector Garrido has done an exceptional job capturing the beauty from above. Oscar Wilde famously wrote “Life imitates Art far more than Art imitates Life.” The carved out soil from these photographs looks eerily similar to the sulci and gyri of the human brain. It’s fascinating to see biological patterns mirrored at different levels of life.
For more from Hector Garrido, check out his website.
“, display amazing patterns and textures of the ever-changing world below.
