homehome Home chatchat Notifications


NASA maps the devastation of Beirut blast from outer space

The effects of the explosion have now been mapped from space.

Tibi Puiu
August 10, 2020 @ 2:58 pm

share Share

On August 4, disaster struck Beirut. A stockpile of 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate, a chemical used as fertilizer or as an ingredient in bombs, suddenly exploded with a force twenty times greater than that of the GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast (also known as the “Mother of All Bombs”), the most powerful non-nuclear weapon in the US arsenal.

At least 135 people were killed and more than 4,000 were injured by the massive explosion that produced a 3.3 magnitude earthquake, which was felt as far as Cyprus, around 240 kilometers (150 miles) away.

The toll of this devastation was recently analyzed by NASA scientists, in collaboration with colleagues from the ESA and Singapore, who employed satellite-derived synthetic aperture data to map the extent of the damage in the Lebanese capital.

NASA’s ARIA team, in collaboration with the Earth Observatory of Singapore, used satellite data to map the extent of likely damage following a massive explosion in Beirut. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Earth Observatory of Singapore/ESA.

Dark red pixels — each covering an area of 30 meters across — represent the most severe damage. These are typically clustered around the blast’s epicenter, the Port of Beirut. Orange pixels represent moderate damage while yellow pixels correspond to areas that sustained less damage.

The destruction in Beirut is thought to have left more than 300,000 people homeless at a time when the country is struggling both financially and politically.

Hopefully, maps such as this can help local authorities identify which areas have suffered the most damage and where people are most in need of assistance.

share Share

Archaeologists Unearth 150 Skeletons Beneath Vienna From 2,000-Year-Old Roman-Germanic Battlefield

A forgotten battle near the Danube reveals clues about Vienna's inception.

An AI Called Dreamer Learned to Mine Diamonds in Minecraft — Without Being Taught

A self-improving algorithm masters a complex game task, hinting at a new era in AI.

Alcohol Helps Male Fruit Flies Get Lucky—But They Know When to Stop

Male fruit flies use booze to boost pheromones and charm potential mates—just not too much.

UK Is Testing a "Murder Prediction" tool—and It's Seriously Alarming

Just in case your day wasn't dystopian enough.

The Number of Americans Who Don’t Want Kids At All Has Doubled Since 2002

The share of ‘childfree’ adults has doubled since 2002, new research shows.

Titanic 3D Scans Reveal Heartbreaking Clues About the Final Minutes Before It Sank

The ship was actually close to surviving the encounter with the iceberg.

That 2022 Hepatitis Outbreak in Kids? It Was Apparently COVID

A new study reveals evidence that immune cells, liver cells and viral leftovers created a dangerous combination.

This Simple Trick Can Make Your Coffee Taste Way Better, Says Physics

If you love pour-over coffee it could serve you well to change how you pour.

But they're not really dire wolves, are they?

and this isn't a conservation story

A 97-Year-Old Tortoise Just Became a First-Time Mom at the Philadelphia Zoo

Mommy has been living at the Philadelphia Zoo for 90 years, and waited until old age to experience motherhood.