Our favorite places, seen from above
We do a whooole lot of Earth-gazing on the satellite team. We each have our handful of favorite spots on the satellite layer—places we have personal connections to, or places we just like to look at. Today, we want to celebrate this beautiful ball of ecosystems we call home by sharing a few of those places.
I enjoy browsing Antarctica on Landsat Live. The landscapes are amazing, and I like seeing the opposite season to what’s outside my own window. My favorite place is the tiny point of red at the center of this image: Blood Falls, one of the most Mars-like places on Earth — and one of the only dabs of bright color on the entire continent. — Charlie Loyd
The Isles of Scilly is an archipelago off the southwest corner of Cornwall, England. It is remote and is home to about 2,000 inhabitants. I like the scene because the water is clear in the harbor so that you can see the seaweed. The Scillonian [the archipelago’s famous passenger ferry] is in dock, so lots of people are starting their holidays as I did many years ago! — Norman Barker
Sutter Buttes is a round complex of extinct lava domes in the Sacramento Valley. Rising over 2000 feet, their undeveloped flanks contrast starkly with the surrounding agricultural landscape. — Damon Burgett
La Désirade is a French island in the Caribbean arc. Fun fact about the island: It’s the home of the Lesser Antillean iguana, an endangered species. — Vincent Sarago
Maine: It’s the best state. — Jacques Tardie
We’re used to seeing Uluru in profile. From above we get to see new features. The fissures on top, filled with bright green vegetation, stand out against the folds of red sandstone. — Rachel Holm
Malaspina Glacier, in southeastern Alaska, is the largest piedmont glacier in the world. — Pratik Yadav
I love this view of the recently glaciated Shawangunk Ridge in New York state, cutting diagonally to the Northeast — kind of amazing to be able to see it from above. Lake Minnewaska is the body of water to the west. I lived at the base of this cliff band in my early 20s and will never forget the views towards the Hudson Valley (to the east) from the top of the ridge. — Camilla Mahon
We’d love to see your favorite locations, too. Check out the satellite layer and tweet a snapshot to @Mapbox with the hashtag #EarthDay.
Happy 🌍 Day from our 🛰team was originally published in Points of interest on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.