Satellite Images That Make The Earth’s Surface Look Like Abstract Art

By Dorothy Tan, 02 Jan 2013

The longest-operating Earth-observing satellite Landsat 5 is finally ending its mission after 29 years out in space—a career that consists of more than 150,000 orbits, during which it took 2.5 million images.

Outlasting its planned three-year operation by almost 10 times, Landsat 5 is returning to earth at last due to a permanently damaged part and would no longer be able to keep an eye on the planet.

To celebrate its great contribution to our understanding of the Earth, Wired magazine has compiled a collection of stunning pictures that Landsat 5 has taken over its nearly three decades in space.

Featuring vivid shades of blue, green, pink, purple and yellow, these images look more like pieces of abstract art than photographs taken by an orbiting satellite.

Find out more about the Landsat project at its official website.