The OSINT team at Sky News uses satellite images, video and publicly available data to verify and investigate breaking stories.
Whether helping inform out coverage of conflicts in the middle east, or showing the scale of damage caused by hurricanes and floods, satellite images have been an important resource throughout the year.
As 2024 comes to an end, we have compiled some of the most striking and informative examples seen this year.
January: Earthquake hits Japan’s Noto Peninsula
On 1 January, a magnitude 4.9 earthquake affected the Noto Peninsula in Japan.
It killed more than 500 people, and cased substantial damage to buildings in the area.
February: First commercial mission to the moon lands
Pic: NASA
On 22 February, the first commercial mission to the moon landed.
Odysseus, a Nova-C lander owned by Intuitive Machines, was photographed by NASA on 24 February after its arrival to the moon’s southern polar region.
This was the first time that a private company has successfully sent a spacecraft to the moon.
March: Container ship hits Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore
Pic: Maxar
On 26 March, the container ship Dali hit Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge, causing it to collapse. This killed six maintenance workers.
The cost of replacing the bridge has been estimated to be close to $2bn.
April: Eclipse seen over Mexico and the Pacific Ocean
Pic: NASA
On 8 April, a total solar eclipse passed across North America. Caused by an alignment in the positions of the sun and moon, the phenomenon was visible in Mexico, the United States and Canada.
Its shadow was photographed by NASA as it passed over the Pacific Ocean and the eastern coast of Mexico.
May – Israeli strike targets Rafah camp
On 26 May, an Israeli airstrike targeted an area housing displaced people near the city of Rafah in the south of the Gaza Strip.
At least 45 people were killed in this strike, with many more injured. Images from the scene caused widespread international backlash. Israel said it was targeting senior Hamas commanders.
Investigations by Sky News and other outlets subsequently found that the munition used was an American-made GBU-39 bomb.
June: Volcanic eruption in Iceland
Pic: Planet Labs PBC
In mid-June, a volcano on Iceland’s Reykjanes Peninsula erupted.
Coinciding with increased earthquake activity, the eruption resulted in a large lava flow visible from space.
July: The Olympic Games held in Paris
Pic: Maxar
In the summer, France hosted the Olympic Games in Paris. During the games several events were held close to the city’s famous landmarks.
This image, captured by Maxar, shows a temporary volleyball stadium in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower.
August: Wildfires approach the edge of Athens
Pic: Sentinel 2
In August, thousands of people were evacuated from the countryside surrounding Athens due to wildfires.
By the time the fires subsided, approximately 100,000 acres were burned.
September: Hurricane Helene makes landfall in the United States
Pic: NASA
On September 26, Hurricane Helene made landfall on the Florida Coast.
The storm left a trail of destruction across the southern United States, resulting in power cuts that in some cases lasted for days.
Satellite images taken at night by NASA show the storm passing over Florida and Georgia.
October: Flooding in Spain
Pic: Maxar
At the end of October, the Spanish city of Valencia and its surrounding areas experienced severe flash flooding.
This killed more than 200 people, and covered large areas with water, mud and debris.
Satellite imagery captured by Maxar on 31 October shows the scale of the flooding, with the south of the city being worst affected.
November: Mount Fuji without snow in November for the first time in 130 years
Source: Planet Labs PBC
Japan’s Mount Fuji made headlines this year, after its famous snow cap failed to materialise until 6 November.
Satellite imagery captured by Planet Labs shows the mountain without snow on 4 November for the first time in 130 years.
The appearance of snow on Mount Fuji occurred a month later than in 2023, when it was recorded on 5 October.
December: Russian military equipment gathered at airbase following fall of Assad
Pic: Maxar
In December, the Syrian civil war came to a sudden end as rebel groups captured all previously government-held territory within the space of a few weeks.
While the former dictator Bashar al Assad fled to Russia, Russian troops and equipment that helped prop up his regime were left in the country.
Following the fall of Assad’s regime, it appears Russia is in the process of withdrawing from Syria.
On 19 December, a satellite image captured by Maxar showed large amounts of Russian military equipment assembled for transport from its Syrian airbase.
The Data and Forensics team is a multi-skilled unit dedicated to providing transparent journalism from Sky News. We gather, analyse and visualise data to tell data-driven stories. We combine traditional reporting skills with advanced analysis of satellite images, social media and other open source information. Through multimedia storytelling we aim to better explain the world while also showing how our journalism is done.
