Sometimes the world can be a much more revealing place if you take the time to see things from different angle. These incredible angled images captured byPlanet LabsSkySat satellites reveal the world from 280 miles up, showing off the contours of our amazing planet.
This fantastic imagery gives the impression of 3D mapping rather than photos and some will make you look twice.
Planet Labsdoes some incredible work when it comes to satellite imagery. The company operates a mass of satellites in regular orbit of the planet capturing and broadcasting photos in near real-time. This also allows for some pretty impressive time-lapse imagery likethis video of the Apple Campus being constructed.
We’ve gathered some of the best images to show you just how impressive our planet is, even from all those miles above the surface. Be sure to take a look atthe full gallery to see more.
Bora Bora, French Polynesia
You may know this place by name, but did you know Bora Bora is a volcanic island surrounded by barrier reef? The centre of these islands holds the remnants of an extinct volcano and is famed for its luxury resorts and bounty of coconut trees.
This satellite image captures the beauty of the islands and their surroundings and shows a new angle you’ve no doubt never seen in holiday snaps.
Gasherbrum Massif, Pakistan
This photo captures a group of three of the world’s 8,000-metre peak mountains that are situated in Pakistan.
“Gasherbrum” means “beautiful mountain” and from this angle it’s easy to see why.
Osaka, Japan
Most of the land in Japan is made up of forested and mountainous regions that are unsuitable for residential living. The result is the main areas where people live - in the coastal towns and cities - have high population densities and are made up of sprawling man-made concrete jungles.
Osaka is the third largest city in Japan and home to over two and a half million people. The skyline is dominated by giant skyscrapers which appear tiny and insignificant in this photo captured from over 200 miles up. Large port facilities can be seen on the waterways and large bridges cross the rivers. It’s hard to imagine how much human activity is captured in this single photo - with millions of people going about their daily lives.
Houston, Texas
Some of the shots of big cities almost look fake when viewed this way. The high-rise skyscrapers in Houston are certainly impressive.
Houston’s skyline is dominated by high-rise skyscrapers towering over the city buildings below.
Green grass and miles of roadways make up the rest of the landscape. The careful eye though will spot the open roof of Minute Maid Park the local baseball stadium and sports attraction for the masses.
Deccan Traps, India
The Deccan Traps in India are said to be one of the largest volcanic features on our planet.
It is thought that these features began to form over 66 million years ago when a series of volcanic eruptions began changing the surrounding landscape. The shapes visible in this photo show the lava flows that are more than 2,000 metres thick. From this angle, the Deccan Traps look even more impressive.
Blue Mountains, Australia
A short 30-mile trip northwest of Sydney puts you in the rugged Blue Mountain region with steep mountain cliffs, eucalyptus forests, incredible waterfalls and numerous tourist hotspots sprawling all around the National Park.
This area is also home to the famous Three Sisters rock formation - a natural occurrence created by the erosion of the cliffs by wind, rain and rivers.
Shanghai, China
Hard to believe that images like this are captured by satelittles.
This close view of Shanghai’s Pudong district captures the flow and bends of the Yellow River as well as the Oriental Pearl Tower.
This image shows how capable the Planet satellites are at snapping images of our world, even close up, despite being all those miles above the surface.
Nadir view of Monte Fitz Roy, Chile and Argentina
Another view of a mountain range shows the impressive shadows cast by their sheer size and yet fails to capture the full magnificence of the side-on view.
The power here though, lies in the capabilities of the Planet satellites and the company’s abilities to capture images of our planet from a variety of angles, zoom levels and more.
Mount Etna, Italy
Another impressive volcanic mountain range captured by Planet’s satellites. Mount Etna is the second-most active volcano on Earth and can be seen erupting regularly with occasional lava flow spilling out onto the snow-covered slopes. This activity is beneficial to the surrounding area as the fertile volcanic soils supports agricultural growth in nearby vineyards and orchards.
From orbit, the activity can be seen in all its majesty, but this snap simply shows a peaceful snow-covered mountain range in the beautiful surroundings of Sicily.
Salto Angel, Venezuela
From some of the tallest mountains and volcanoes in the world, to the world’s tallest waterfall, the Planet satellites capture them all.
The waters from these falls drop nearly 1,000 metres and on particularly windy days the waters turn into a fine mist blowing across the area. In this aerial photo, you’re able to see the whispy waterfall at the edge of the mountain range.
Salto Angel, also known as Angel Falls is one of the top tourist attractions of the area but also a tricky place to reach as it’s surrounded by deep jungle and requires a river trip to get to.
From this high up, this huge waterfall is almost tiny and insignificant.
