SkySat • Burning Man, Black Rock City, Nevada, USA • August 25, 2019

In this week’s issue:

• People amass, satellites pass (over)

• Drifting icebergs

• Not quite great lake
  

Having trouble viewing images? Then read this issue on Medium!

FEATURE STORY

Events

A group of lemurs is called a conspiracy, but a group of humans is called a good time (usually). Which partly made the early 2020s reprieve from group gatherings so difficult. We’re a social species with a propensity for large-scale activities. But while three’s a crowd on the ground, it’s invisible from space. Multiply it by thousands, though, and our congregations become as apparent as our cities. So to celebrate the return of great masses and to herald the impending packed crowds of summer, here’s a collection of events so large they’re visible from orbit.

PlanetScope • Glastonbury Festival, Somerset, England • May 27 - July, 2022

The largest religious gathering of humans takes place every 4 years across 4 locations in India, with over 100 million attending the ceremony along the banks of Prayagraj’s rivers in 2019. The Hindu pilgrimage, called Kumbh Mela, involves cleansing oneself in the sacred Ganges and is at least over 1300 years old.

SkySat • Kumbh Mela, Prayagraj, India • January 25, 2019

The Catholics know a thing or two about masses. Countless devotees can be seen gathered in Vatican City’s Saint Peter’s Square during the Second Sunday of Easter in 2018.

SkySat • St. Peter’s Basilica, Vatican City • April 8, 2018

Hollywood may have popularized the red carpet, but Karbala perfected it. Iraq’s holy city hosts one of the world’s largest religious pilgrimages: Arbaeen. Every year, millions of pilgrims visit the Al-Abbas Shrine, the outside of which can be seen covered in what appears to be red carpet before the event.

SkySat • Al-Abbas Shrine, Karbala, Iraq • August 18, 2021

For many, religious fervor is rivaled only by competitive sports. In 2018, Philadelphia rang the victory bell alongside the Liberty Bell after winning the Super Bowl. Fans took to the sunny streets to celebrate.

SkySat • Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA • February 8, 2018

If the images included so far haven’t influenced you, then perhaps the influencer-bonanza known as Coachella might. We only had nosebleed tickets though, so we missed all the in-tents acts.

SkySat • Coachella, Indio, California, USA • September 25, 2022 - April 21, 2023

The mecca of human gatherings is likely, well, Mecca. Millions of Muslims make the pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia each year to congregate around the Kaaba in the Great Mosque.

SkySat • Masjid al-Haram, Mecca, Saudi Arabia • January 25, 2020

It’s a cars’ world, we’re just driving in it. Parked cars pack the motorway for the Formula 1 United States Grand Prix back in 2018.

SkySat • Circuit of the Americas, Austin, Texas, USA • April 22, 2018

Humans are more like ants than we care to admit. And nothing quite highlights this relation as do images of square troop formations from orbit. North Korea’s infamous military parades are often captured via satellite, with uniformed units of soldiers particularly visible.

SkySat • Mirim Facilities, Pyongyang, North Korea • April 17, 2022

Maybe you’ve noticed a trend in what brings large groups of people together: religion, music, sports, and politics. But there’s also beer. Though it starts in September, Oktoberfest is a huge event for German culture, beer, and dirndl and lederhosen fans, with millions flocking to the barrel-aged watering hole each year.

PlanetScope • Oktoberfest, Munich, Germany • June 15 - September 12, 2022

Thanks for viewing this group of images of groups of people. If you were hoping for a sappy ending, here it is: if you ever feel powerless to individually shape the world, remember that together we can have an impact big enough to be seen from space.

Bonus: Some other animals besides humans and ants like amassing too. Here’s some waddles of penguins keeping warm in Antarctica.

SkySat • Coulman Island, Antarctica • October 5, 2022

Remote Sensations

Counting Icebergs

Welcome to Newfoundland. Temperature: cold. Main spring attraction: passing icebergs. We’re not talking the city-size icebergs calving from the ice sheets. But rather the Titanic-ending drifters. For those of us who both love to spot icebergs and to distract ourselves from important obligations, there’s a great site that lets you track these icy behemoths as they coast along the area's shores.

SkySat • Iceberg, Newfoundland, Canada • April 2, 2023

And while in search of icebergs we found ice-spirals. Here’s an ice floe swirling with the currents off the island’s eastern coast.

PlanetScope • Newfoundland, Canada • April 18, 2023

What in the world

Lake St. Clair

Lake St. Clair is a bit like a referee in a championship game: situated between two greats but not granted the same esteem and is largely ignored. The lake sits between the Great Lakes Erie and Huron and lines eastern Detroit. Water is fed from seven different channels (seen in the image’s top right) before filtering through the shallow lake and exiting via the Detroit River. It may not be Great, but we think it’s great.

PlanetScope • Lake St. Clair, Michigan, USA & Ontario, Canada • April 7, 2023

Weekly Revisit

Last week we explored how satellites help monitor water pollution (and create some mesmerizing images during the process). So check it out in case you missed it and read more stories from the full archive if you’re extra curious.

SkySat • Lake Valencia, Venezuela • March 25, 2023