Ever heard of the “Overview Effect?” Essentially, it’s when astronauts, who are seeing Earth from a great distance, suddenly have a mental clarity — a new understanding on what it means to be alive, and how everything is connected. Benjamin Grant is no astronaut, but he experienced something akin to the Overview Effect when he was looking through satellite images of the world.
New York consultant Benjamin Grant was trying to find satellite imagery of Earth for work, but instead pulled up images of Earth, Texas. Thankfully the tiny town is surrounded by perfect circles created by pivot irrigation systems, which got Grant thinking about the Overview Effect. Grant works with satellite company Digital Globe. He selects an area, puts in an imagery request, and then obtains all images that have been captured over his selected space. We have selected 100 of his best images from his instagram account and shared them below.
1Uniform apartment buildings

2Cape Cod is a hook-shaped peninsula that extends into the Atlantic Ocean off southeastern Massachusetts, USA

3Thousands of automobiles fill a large lot near the Philadelphia Navy Yard in southern Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

4Check out this awesome view of Sydney, Australia

5Massive oil tankers

6Lake Mead

7Aerial view of Bologna, Italy

8Dallas Fort Worth International Airport covers more than 27 square miles (70 sq. km) in Texas — an area larger than the island of Manhattan

9A hot-air balloon floats above Cappadocia

10Cyclone Idai has wreaked havoc on countries in eastern Africa

11Kuta is a village in southern Bali, Indonesia

12Houseboats floating peacefully on the New Bullards Bar Reservoir in Yuba County, California

13A municipality of Mexico City

14Aerial view of the Cliffs of Moher

15An earthwork sculpture

16The Puxi Viaduct in Shanghai, China

17Tel Aviv is the second most populous city in Israel

18Jelsa is a town located on the island of Hvar in Croatia

19The wreck of the SS Maheno can be found on the east coast of Fraser Island in Queensland

20Toronto is the most populous city in Canada

21The destruction caused by four tornadoes that tore through Lee County, Alabama

22The Bayannur Wulanyiligeng wind farm in Inner Mongolia, China

23The Port of Antwerp in Flanders, Belgium

24Memorial park in the state of Victoria, Australia

25The Chilean coast range
