There’s an old trope about how only certain human-made objects, like the Great Wall of China, can be seen from space. The truth is that with advanced cameras, satellites can see some surprisingly small details from space. The European Space Agency’s Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission peered down from orbit and captured a stunning view of the Burning Man festival in Nevada. The image highlights the satellite constellation’s capabilities and shows just how vast Burning Man was in 2024.
The satellite view shows the Black Rock Desert on Aug. 26, on the second day of the art-celebration event. Dark rocky landscapes cut along the edges while the white alkali flats pop out in a bright stretch from corner to corner. A semi-circular temporary settlement stands out like a tattoo in the center. “Stretching and uplifting of Earth’s crust over the past 17 million years have resulted in a recurrent pattern of valleys and rugged north-south mountain ranges, like those visible in brown around the sandy area,” ESA said in a statement on Sept. 20.
An annotated version of the image points out features like a road leading to the city and the location of a large effigy that’s burned at the end of the event. That’s where the Burning Man name comes from. The settlement area is filled with campers, tents and structures.
Burning Man is an annual event where attendees build a temporary community—named Black Rock City—in the desert. It’s known for large art installations and art cars. While ESA calls it a festival, Burning Man would beg to differ. “Burning Man is not a festival!” the Burning Man Project said on its website. “It’s a city wherein almost everything that happens is created entirely by its citizens, who are active participants in the experience.” The 2024 event took place from Aug. 25 through Sept. 2 and welcomed around 70,000 visitors.
Burning Man’s art theme for this year was “Curiouser and curiouser,” a reference to Lewis Carroll’s “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.” The event encourages self-expression, civic responsibility, self-reliance and communal efforts. It also attempts to erase its presence once the event concludes. “We are committed to leaving no physical trace of our activities wherever we gather,” the organization said in an explanation of its guiding principles. “We clean up after ourselves and endeavor, whenever possible, to leave such places in a better state than when we found them.”
The Sentinel-2 mission recently expanded from two satellites to three with the launch of Sentinel-2C in early September. The other two satellites are called Sentinel-2A and Sentinel-2B. The Earth-observing satellites are designed to look down and capture detailed images and data. “Copernicus Sentinel-2 data are used for a broad range of applications, including agriculture, water quality monitoring, natural disaster management, including wildfires, volcanic eruptions and floods,” ESA said. The clear view of Burning Man shows off the mission’s keen eyesight.
Burning Man fans are familiar with the spectacle of the event as seen from the ground. Giant sculptures, strange vehicles and costumed participants fill the space. The Sentinel-2 mission’s view of Burning Man is impressive in a different way. Burning Man becomes a small part of a bigger picture, a momentary shift in an ancient landscape.
