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Glaciers and Glastonbury: 25 of the best satellite photos taken this year

An erupting volcano, a revolution in progress, and hundreds of thousands of drunk people.

DIGITALGLOBE, A COMMERCIAL satellite imaging company, has just released a breathtaking collection of its 25 best images from 2014.

Among them are a handful taken from the company’s newest satellite, WorldView-3.

DigitalGlobe is asking the public to vote for their favourite birds-eye views of Earth over on their Facebook page.

Here are the choices:

The forested countryside of Alberta, Canada, on 10 October.

satellites-are-often-used-to-monitor-the-environment-as-they-can-show-widespread-changes-in-habitats-over-time-like-deforestation-this-image-is-of-the-forested-countryside-of-alberta-canada-shown-oct-10-2014

Nordenskjold Basin, Antarctica on 12 March

this-is-nordenskjold-basin-in-antarctica-on-march-12-2014-frozen-areas-like-this-can-be-monitored-by-satellite-in-order-to-observe-whether-the-ice-is-melting-and-assess-the-impacts-of-climate-change

Wildfires in San Diego County, California on 15 May.

logouscasandiegococosfiremay152014nirwv2

An eruption on Mount Sinabung, Indonesia, on 23 January.

similarly-heres-a-view-of-the-erupting-mount-sinabung-in-indonesia-on-jan-23-2014-first-responders-can-use-such-images-to-assess-damage-and-help-create-evacuation-plans

Flooding in Gunja, Croatia on 21 May

such-information-is-useful-in-situations-like-this-flooding-in-gunja-croatia-on-may-21-2014

Densely packed neighbourhoods in Mexico City, on 1 August.

urban-planning-is-a-tough-job-especially-in-big-cities-where-its-hard-to-get-an-accurate-sense-of-the-layout-from-the-ground-peering-down-from-space-gives-a-better-impression-of-such-areas-like-these-densely-packed

Oktoberfest in Munich, on 24 September.

social-events-are-easy-to-observe-from-afar-heres-oktoberfest-in-munich-germany-on-sept-24-2014--an-event-attended-by-millions-of-people-each-year

Around 200,000 people attend the Glastonbury Festival in Somerset, on 25 June.

the-same-goes-for-the-glastonbury-festival-a-five-day-music-festival-attended-by-about-200000-people-in-somerset-england-on-june-25-2014

Spectral band imaging shows the location of mineral deposits at Cuprite Hill, Nevada on 19 September.

other-special-kinds-of-imaging-can-help-geologists-identify-mineral-deposits-like-the-ones-here-at-cuprite-hill-nevada-the-four-sections-in-this-image-taken-sept-19-2014-show-different-spectral-band-combinations-us

Mineralised bands of volcanic lava and sand on Rainbow Range, in British Columbia, Canada on 20 September.

heres-another-striking-image-of-mineral-deposits-this-is-rainbow-range-a-mountain-range-known-for-its-colorful-mineralized-bands-of-volcanic-lava-and-sand-in-british-columbia-canada-on-sept-20-2014

A satellite keeps track of productivity at the Bayan Obo mining district in China, on 23 August.

satellite-images-arent-all-fun-an-games-though-they-are-useful-for-many-other-reasons-this-is-the-bayan-obo-mining-district-in-china-captured-aug-23-2014-satellite-imagery-can-help-keep-track-of-mine-productivity-f

The Henan Coal Mine in China, on 29 May.

heres-another-mine-the-henan-coal-mine-in-china-captured-may-29-2014-satellites-can-record-fuel-levels-and-emissions-from-mines-like-this-one-to-help-monitor-their-environmental-impacts

The Diavikk diamond mine in Canada, on 21 August.

and-heres-a-slightly-different-type-of-mine-the-diavikk-diamond-mine-in-canada-seen-on-aug-21-2014

Fish farms off the coast of Huayuanli in China, on 18 October.

satellites-are-also-capable-of-using-different-types-of-imagery-to-make-observations-about-a-location-near-infrared-and-shortwave-infrared-imagery-can-provide-information-about-aquaculture-like-the-amount-and-types

Smoke rises above Kiev, Ukraine during protests on 24 February.

this-image-of-kiev-ukraine-illustrates-the-power-of-remote-imaging-to-capture-scenes-of-human-conflict-kiev-has-been-the-site-of-escalating-protests-since-last-year-this-image-was-taken-feb-24-2014

Iraqi refugees leaving the city of Sinjar on foot, escaping Islamist militants there, on 15 September.

more-human-conflict-is-hauntingly-captured-in-this-image-of-iraqi-refugees-traveling-from-the-city-of-sinjar-to-escape-islamic-militants-on-sept-15-2014

Refugees in the Syrian city of Kobane, on 6 November.

a-big-picture-look-at-such-conflicts-can-help-international-bodies-and-aid-organizations-make-decisions-about-how-to-help-displaced-people-and-suffering-communities-one-city-that-has-seen-it-share-of-conflict-is-ko

A shipping yard in Garden City, Georgia, USA on 16 May.

even-the-commercial-sector-can-benefit-from-certain-satellite-applications-for-instance-this-image-shows-a-shipping-yard-in-garden-city-georgia-on-may-16-2014-analysts-can-look-at-the-number-and-type-of-shipping-co

Aircraft line up at the airport in Everett, Washington on 26 July.

here-an-image-of-the-airport-at-everett-washington-from-july-26-2014-can-reveal-types-of-aircraft-cargo-and-other-important-operational-information

The Spui Locks at the storm surge barrier in IJmuiden, Netherlands on 27 August.

these-are-the-spui-locks-at-ijmuiden-netherlands-on-aug-27-2014-monitoring-civil-infrastructure-components-like-these-locks-can-help-governments-keep-track-of-local-operations

A rail yard in Maschen, Germany on 6 August.

rail-yards-are-another-civil-operation-satellites-can-help-monitor-this-is-a-rail-yard-in-maschen-germany-on-aug-6-2014

An oil facility in the Caspian Sea off the coast of Kazakhstan, in September.

objects-in-the-middle-of-the-ocean-can-be-hard-to-access-regularly-so-observing-them-via-satellite-can-be-helpful-in-the-way-of-monitoring-conditions-and-checking-on-equipment-heres-one-example-an-oil-facility-in-t

The isolated Prirazlomnaya oil platform, off the coast of Russia, on 28 June.

and-heres-a-similarly-isolated-site-the-prirazlomnaya-oil-platform-off-the-coast-of-russia-on-june-28-2014

The world’s largest tyre graveyard at Sulaibiya, Kuwait on 4 June.

waste-management-is-another-important-environmental-consideration-this-image-reveals-the-worlds-largest-tire-graveyard-in-sulaibiya-kuwait--pictured-on-june-4-2014

The Itaipu Dam in Paraguay, on 12 March.

and-evaluating-the-environmental-impacts-of-construction-projects-is-no-less-important-for-example-remote-sensing-can-help-developers-figure-out-how-the-itaipu-dam-in-paraguay-shown-here-on-march-12-2014-is-affecti

Read: Here’s what Dublin looks like from the International Space Station>

Here’s why you really should be following the International Space Station online>

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    Mute ads20101
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    Dec 22nd 2014, 6:23 PM

    Whenever I see commercial satellite pictures of this quality I always wonder what satellite resolution is available to powerful militaries.

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    Mute Charles Mcdonald
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    Dec 22nd 2014, 9:34 PM

    Well they always said for while that they can seem dimples on a golf ball that was years ago. I don’t think it’s that good but I’m sure they can see in HD

    Have to be mindful that satilites are on specific orbits to change it requires fuel and costly burns.

    Not all the imagery in Google Earth comes from satellites. A lot of the imagery comes from aerial photographers mostly in airplanes with special high resolution cameras. Some of the imagery even comes from kites and balloons. Google acquires imagery from a variety of providers. Some of the imagery is given to Google by city or state governments. The age of the imagery varies greatly, but most of the high resolution imagery is between 6 months and 5 years of age

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    Mute Oisín Tarrant
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    Dec 22nd 2014, 10:09 PM

    Consider how far out into space they can see. Turn the satellite around to point at earth and you have your answer.

    29
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    Mute Daniel Murray
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    Dec 22nd 2014, 6:27 PM

    Aer lingus jet at the front of the queue in the airport shot?

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    Mute Irish Grave Markers
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    Dec 22nd 2014, 6:40 PM

    Holding up the show!

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    Mute Cian O Donoghue
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    Dec 22nd 2014, 6:57 PM

    Was thinking the same. But Everett is the home of Boeing I think. The plane is a 4 engine wide body. No 4 engine Boeing in Aer Lingus fleet I don’t think.

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    Mute Mark Lillis
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    Dec 22nd 2014, 6:57 PM

    No, it’s not Aer Lingus. Looks like a 747, probably KLM or Korea Air. Everett airport is where the Boeing factory in Washington State is.

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    Mute Mark Lillis
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    Dec 22nd 2014, 6:58 PM

    Snap Cian

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    Mute Aaron B
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    Dec 22nd 2014, 7:18 PM

    Not an Aer Lingus, its a 747 aircraft waiting to go into the paint hangar, the other ones lined up are freshly painted jets too

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    Mute C. Fishin1
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    Dec 22nd 2014, 8:41 PM

    KLM i’d say bud.

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    Mute Cian O Donoghue
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    Dec 22nd 2014, 9:17 PM

    Cathay Pacific id bet.

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    Mute Miriam Kelliher
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    Dec 22nd 2014, 10:29 PM

    Thought that too, but Aer Lingus doesn’t fly to Washington state

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    Mute Stephen Wallis
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    Dec 22nd 2014, 7:02 PM

    The planes lined up at Everett are Boeing 787′s being (temporarily) stored, as a lot of airlines cancelled their orders due to the technical troubles that this model has been experiencing. They are being reworked, ready for sale in the future. Everett is the local airport for Boeing.

    14
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    Mute Mark Lillis
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    Dec 22nd 2014, 8:52 PM

    The green/ blue one in top left is not a 787. Has four engines so chances are its a 747. The rest look like 787s alright.

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    Mute Pádraíg O'hEidhin
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    Dec 22nd 2014, 9:15 PM

    Oh please were did you hear that information I just came back from there. The plant is massive one building alone has a wall which is 2.2 miles long and there still building more hangers. They have never been more busy and are currently recruiting also.

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    Mute James Lyons
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    Dec 22nd 2014, 6:59 PM

    I got the densely packed neighbourhoods in Mexico City on my birthday……… Score….

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    Mute David Gleeson
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    Dec 22nd 2014, 7:41 PM

    So tents are mostly red ?

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    Mute Lee Brennan
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    Dec 22nd 2014, 11:02 PM

    Used to land on that Island in the Caspian. Cold place in the winter. Looks a lot less busy now a days.

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