NASA created a fun tool that spells out any word using satellite photos of Earth’s landscapes. The interactive website turns rivers, lakes, and farmland into letters so you can literally write your name with the planet.
The tool uses over 50 years of satellite images from NASA’s Landsat program, which has been photographing Earth since 1972. It’s like having a massive alphabet made from real places around the world.
Letters Hiding in Plain Sight
NASA first launched this tool for a virtual summer camp in August 2024, but recently brought it back for Earth Day. Each letter comes from actual satellite photos – when you hover over a letter, you can see exactly where on Earth that landscape is located, complete with coordinates.
Some letters are easier to find in nature than others. The letter “A” has five different options, with landscapes from Alaska to Azerbaijan. But the letter “G” is much rarer – there’s only one option available, from a spot in the Brazilian Amazon.
The project went viral on social media, getting over 22 million views. Even Xbox jumped in to spell out their name. One person commented “that’s cool as hell, are you kidding me.”
What’s Next
While the tool is fun, it showcases the serious work NASA does monitoring Earth’s environment. These same satellite images help scientists and policymakers make important decisions about natural resources and climate change. NASA will likely keep adding new letter options as they discover more alphabet-shaped landscapes from space.
