An Earth-observing satellite just served up a spectacular view of Wimbledon.
New satellite imagery from San Francisco-based company Planet captures a birds-eye view of the grass courts of the All England Club in London, which hosts the famous Wimbledon tennis tournament every summer.
“See you on Centre Court!” Planet said in a Tuesday (July 11) Twitter post that featured the photo. “Campers queue up for tickets to @Wimbledon early Saturday morning. Notice the tents in the top right. Who are you rooting for this year?”
Related: Planet’s photos of Earth from space (gallery)
See you on Centre Court! 🎾 Campers queue up for tickets to @Wimbledon early Saturday morning. Notice the tents in the top right. Who are you rooting for this year? pic.twitter.com/Y6gfgpbHzlJuly 11, 2023
This year’s Wimbledon Championships — the oldest tennis tournament in the world — began on June 26 and will conclude Sunday (July 16) with the Gentlemen’s Singles Finals. (The Ladies’ Singles Finals are on Saturday, July 15). The matches are played on outdoor grass courts, which are captured in the new satellite imagery.
Planet, founded in 2010, has built and deployed about 450 Earth-observing satellites to date, with more than 200 of those satellites currently operational in orbit. Most of those craft are cubesats called Doves, which are about the size of a loaf of bread.
Each Dove is equipped with a high-powered telescope and camera to continuously monitor different areas around the globe. The company’s satellites observe Earth daily, with a goal to provide up-to-date information relevant to climate monitoring, crop yield prediction, urban planning and disaster response. Many of the satellite images are available to the public online.
