1. Abandoned diamond mine, Mirny, Eastern Siberia, Russia
From the sky, this looks like a giant concrete drain, but it an inactive diamond mine. It’s not surprising the satellite image is so vivid because this gigantic man-made hole is the second largest excavated hole on the planet.
The open pit has a diameter of 3,900 feet and is 1,722 feet deep; so be careful you don’t fall in. Mir Mine was active for 44 years and produced 10 million carats of diamonds per year during its peak production in the 1960s. Wow! They say diamonds are a girl’s best friend. Reality star Kim Kardashian, who has been given some gorgeous diamond rocks in her time, would have been in her element.
2. Excavators at work at the Tagebau Hambach mine, Germany
Grant started Daily Overview after seeing a video about “The Overview Effect” – the sensation astronauts experience the first time they see Earth from space. It’s said that as people peer down at our planet from far away, it suddenly seems vulnerable and they have an overwhelming urge to protect it.
This is a photograph of the massive excavation at Hambach opencast mine, at Tagebau in Germany, which has fuelled many a heated environmental debate. Colossal excavators continuously dig for soft brown lignite coal to feed a nearby power plant. These 300-feet tall diggers are 730 feet long and would dwarf the biggest of transformers. Work started in 1978 and the mine, which contains 2.5 billion tons of lignite, is currently 1,213 feet deep.3. Uranium mine at Arlit, Niger, West Africa
Daily Overview is viewed by thousands every day. Grant hopes the images he features of crowded cities, shrinking icecaps and monstrous mining operations will help people understand the impact we are having on the planet.
From the sky, this giant uranium mine in the desert town of Arlit in northern Niger could be mistaken for a jigsaw piece on a board. The mine produces more than 3,400 tonnes of uranium per year to feed the French nuclear industry and French nuclear weapons programme. 4. Four Seasons Intercontinental Bora Bora Resort, French Polynesia
Grant browses the web for satellite imagery that highlights the good, the bad and the ugly aspects of our planet. This one is as near to paradise as you could get. Situated on a coral reef amid dazzling turquoise waters fringed by white sands, this is the place to dream of on a miserable rainy day.
Guests stay in one of the complex’s 83 beachfront bungalows, each with their own private pontoon where they can relax and soak up the rays. Nestled in the grounds of the luxury resort is an inner lagoon called the Ruahatu Lagoon Sanctuary, a research facility teaming with more than 100 colourful species of marine life.5. Crescent Dunes Solar Energy Project, Tonopah, Nevada, USA
The world looks different when seen from above and this image of a solar energy project could easily be taken for an abstract art piece you could expect to see hanging on the wall of an up-market art gallery.
The project, a three-hour drive from Las Vegas, plans to use 17,500 giant, computer-controlled mirrors to focus the sun’s thermal energy to heat molten salt flowing through tubes on a 540-foot tall solar power tower. The molten salt will be transferred to a storage tank to produce power to provide energy for 75,000 homes.
6. The longest pier in the world
Grant’s collection of amazing photographs capture iconic landscapes and landmarks. The aim is to help people appreciate the beauty and complexity of things we have constructed and how this is changing the planet. This shot of the earth from above shows how humans have overcome an environmental obstacle.
Located in Progeso, Mexico, the pier stretches four miles into the Gulf of Mexico. The shore sits on a limestone shelf that falls gradually as it gets further into the Gulf, so the pier had to be built long – really long - so cruise ships can dock there while their passengers go off to visit the nearby archaeological sites.7. The Intrepid Potash Mine in Moab, Utah, USA
This photograph shows the evaporation ponds that vibrantly dot the landscape at the potash mine to the south of Moab, in Utah. The Colorado River is on the right of the frame. The mine produces muriate of potash, a potassium-containing salt used by farmers in fertiliser.
River water is pumped deep underground to dissolve the potash ore, which lies 3,900 feet below the surface. It dissolves into brine, which is eventually pumped to the surface and into one of the evaporation ponds. As the water evaporates, potash and other salts crystallize out. The water is dyed bright blue to speed up the crystallization process because darker water absorbs more sunlight and heat. 8. The gardens of the royal residence of Het Loo in Apeldoorn, Netherlands
Have you ever noticed that when you look down at the earth from the skies from an airplane window, there’s a kind of geometric pattern to the fields and the environment.
This is captured brilliantly in this image of stunning Het Loo Palace. Situated behind the palace, the 17th century garden has a strict symmetry to its lay out. It follows the general Baroque design formula with radiating gravel walks and rectangular beds. Visitors are told that they can get the best view of the gardens from the surrounding banks and the palace roof.9. Superkilen, Copenhagen, Denmark
Superkilen is a colourful public park in the ethnically diverse and socially challenged Nørrebro area in the Danish capital. The kilometre-long park includes three areas - the ‘Red Square’, the ‘Black Market’ and the ‘Green Park’. Bike lanes cross the park, which features playgrounds as well as areas for basketball, football, cultural activities, picnics, socialising and relaxing.
Superkilen is home to more than 60 nationalities. The park aims to celebrate global diversity by using artifacts gathered from their home countries including bollards from Ghana, neon signs from Qatar and Russia, a sculpture of a bull from Spain and Palestinian soil.10. Drilling for oil in Donie, Texas
Grant scours the web for beautiful and thought-provoking aerial images to inspire people to see their planet in a new way. He captures places where human activity has left its mark on the landscape. This is certainly the case in Donie, Texas.
The image looks like the night sky twinkling in reverse. The pinpricks of light are from thousands of oil wells bored into the earth. The number of wells that dot the landscape around Donie is astounding. That’s a high density of JR Ewing millionaires per square mile. 11. The solar park, Waldpolenz, Germany
The series of photographs include visually compelling images of man and nature and are aimed at giving people a new understanding of what it means to live on our planet.
This plant is built on military air base to the east of Leipzig and spans an area of more than 500 acres - the equivalent to 200 soccer fields. Its 550,000 solar modules produce 40,000 megawatts of electricity per year, which are fed into the power grid. Its operators describe it as the biggest plant of its kind in the world.
12. A beach dotted with umbrellas at Viareggo, Italy
This looks like a beautiful piece of embroidery or even a circuit board, but is actually umbrellas spread along a beach in perfect rows.
Viareggo in Tuscany is a well-known vacation spot and is a popular location for families who return year after year and occupy the same loungers and umbrellas. The city maintains an average temp of 70.7F (21.5C) throughout the year, so if you’re fair skinned you will probably want to duck under one and stay in the shade. 13. Turbines of the wind farm of Donghai Bridge in Shanghai, China
These aren’t jet sky performers at a Disney theme park. The trails that look like streaks of water are turbulence fields that form behind the turbines. The streaks occur when certain meteorological conditions cause the turbines to create clouds of very humid air.
Condensation forms on the blades when the air is particularly moist. The offshore farm is capable of powering 200,000 households. It started producing and transmitting power to the mainland grid in 2010 and is the first commercial offshore wind farm in China.
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