Satellite Photo of Machu Picchu, Peru
Click the thumbnail to further enlarge the image.
About Machu Picchu
One of the most famous Incan cities in the world, sun alignments are found throughout Machu Picchu. Many features, including the Sacred Plaza, The Temple of Three Windows and The Intihuatana platform, align with the summer solstice azimuth of 65-245 degrees. Scientists believe these alignments were primary considerations in the construction of the shrines. A shaft of light, shining through an east-facing window, reportedly illuminates The Torreon, or Temple of the Sun, during the summer solstice. Machu Picchu, also sometimes referred to as the "Lost City of the Incas," was built between 1460 and 1470 AD at an altitude of 8,000 feet. In the satellite photo, the city is seen to the left of the winding roads that lead up to it.
About the Machu Picchu Satellite Image
GeoEye's IKONOS satellite took this image of Machu Picchu September 8, 2003. Photo credit: GeoEye
- Date Acquired:08-SEP-2003
- Upper Left Latitude: -13.058
- Upper Left Longitude:-72.66
- Upper Right Latitude: -13.0679
- Upper Right Longitude: -72.545
- Lower Right Latitude: -13.2017
- Lower Right Longitude: -72.5445
- Lower Left Latitude: -13.1945
- Lower Left Longitude: -72.6575
- Overall Cloud Score: 1
- Cloud Score - Upper Left: 0
- Cloud Score - Upper Right: 3
- Cloud Score - Lower Left:0
- Cloud Score - Lower Right: 0
- Satellite Tilt Angle: 68.6163
- Sun Azimuth: 36.5082
- Sun Elevation: 51.2141
<< Previous: Easter Island | Ancient Observatories | Next: Mayapan >>
