Satellite

See also The Friends of Black Rock's current conditions page.

Visibility prediction

When Satellites will be visible above the Black Rock Desert, Nevada

MODIS is a satellite that images the Black Rock Desert Region.

The basic idea is that we look for terra 7-2-1 MODIS data and display it

Go to https://worldview.earthdata.nasa.gov/
Pan and zoom until you have a nice view of the Black Rock Desert
Click on the red "+ Add Layers" button
In the search window, type "terra 7-2-1" and click on the red box at the right of "Corrected Reflectance (Bands 7-2-1)" to select it.
Close the search window by clicking on the X.
Now you can change the time scale to make a movie or a gif.

Burning Man (Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center) - Satellite images of Burning Man 1996-2022.

Wet-Dry Cycle (Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center) - Satellite images of the Black Rock Desert playa in 2017.

"An image from May 4, 1993, shows an interesting effect. Water from that year’s temporary lake was blown out of its bed to the north by a strong south wind. A shallow scarp, only 20–40 centimeters high, curves around the north edge of the playa and often marks the edge of the lake. But the blue color washes over the scarp in this image." (Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center)
A false color animated GIF showing water on the playa from May 28, 2016 until March 31, 2017
June 1, 2017: False color image of water on the Black Rock and Smoke Creek Deserts.
A false color animated GIF of water on the Black Rock Desert. The loop runs from June 13, 2017 to June 26, 2017. Note that the water recedes and advances with the wind.