--- description: Burning Man's Black Rock City appears and disappears in a matter of days. title: What Burning Man 2019 Looks Like From Space image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt51f48b67d329e7fd/698a020c86f68e65746ed7a1/webp.net-gifmaker.gif?branch=production&width=1920&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Science](/section/science/) ## Science Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Space](/tag/space/) ## Space Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # See What the Burning Man Festival Looks Like From Space  by [Alex Fitzpatrick](/author/alex-fitzpatrick/)  ## Alex Fitzpatrick Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Aug 28, 2019 7:28 PM CUT  Satellite overview of the center camp at Burning Man in Black Rock City, Nevada between August 7 and August 26, 2019. Satellite overview of the center camp at Burning Man in Black Rock City, Nevada between August 7 and August 26, 2019.Satellite image ©2019 Maxar Technologies  by [Alex Fitzpatrick](/author/alex-fitzpatrick/)  ## Alex Fitzpatrick Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Aug 28, 2019 7:28 PM CUT [Burning Man](https://time.com/4009236/burning-man-larry-harvey/ "undefined"), the annual counter-cultural event famous for its performances, art installations and party-like atmosphere, is well underway. What started in 1986 as a small shindig in San Francisco has since escalated into a global phenomenon with tens of thousands of people in attendance. Each year, Burning Man’s organizers and participants erect a temporary enclave called Black Rock City in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert. The city, which plays host to the festival, is made up of tents, RVs, and all sorts of other make-do structures. Black Rock City appears and disappears in a matter of days — this year’s Burning Man began August 25 and will end September 2\. And while it’s a sight to behold in person, it’s equally impressive from space. Here, see pictures of Burning Man’s Black Rock City taken by Maxar’s GeoEye-1 satellite as the city is built and Burning Man 2019 gets underway.  Satellite overview of Burning Man in Black Rock City, Nevada between August 7 and August 26, 2019. Satellite image ©2019 Maxar Technologies And here are pictures of the titular “Burning Man,” a massive wooden effigy that’s burned during each year’s festival.  Satellite overview of Burning Man in Black Rock City, Nevada between August 7 and August 26, 2019. Satellite image ©2019 Maxar Technologies ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5663633/burning-man-festival-space/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5663633/burning-man-festival-space/"},"headline":"See What the Burning Man Festival Looks Like From Space","datePublished":"2019-08-28T19:28:53.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T04:56:43.558Z","description":"Black Rock City appears and disappears in a matter of days","url":"https://time.com/5663633/burning-man-festival-space/","keywords":["Space","onetime"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt51f48b67d329e7fd/698a020c86f68e65746ed7a1/webp.net-gifmaker.gif?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Alex Fitzpatrick","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/alex-fitzpatrick/"}],"articleSection":"Science","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt51f48b67d329e7fd/698a020c86f68e65746ed7a1/webp.net-gifmaker.gif?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Webp.net-gifmaker","caption":"Burning map satellite image","creditText":"Satellite image ©2019 Maxar Technologies","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/science/","name":"Science"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/space/","name":"Space"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5663633/burning-man-festival-space/","name":"See What the Burning Man Festival Looks Like From Space"}}]}] ```