# Central-eastern Brazil, by Copernicus Sentinel-2A satellite

- By: ESA / Copernicus Sentinel-2A
- Date: 2016-08-08
- Classification: Photograph
- Credit line: http://www.esa.int/spaceinimages/Images/2017/04/Central-eastern_Brazil
- Museum: [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Central-eastern_Brazil,_by_Copernicus_Sentinel-2A_satellite.jpg)
- Rights: [CC BY-SA 3.0 igo](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/igo/deed.en)
- Picture: https://invisiblenetwork.ai/thumbs/commons/thumb/2/23/Central-eastern_Brazil%2C_by_Copernicus_Sentinel-2A_satellite.jpg/1920px-Central-eastern_Brazil%2C_by_Copernicus_Sentinel-2A_satellite.jpg
- Who can see it: Teens profiles and older (museums give no ratings; placed by Invisible Network from the museum's own words)

Central-eastern Brazil, by Copernicus Sentinel-2A satellite.

Here we can see a large, flat plateau blanked with fields benefiting from rich soils and an apparent abundance of water, before falling off into a green, hilly valley (left). The straight lines in the image are roads, such as the highway running in a nearly straight line from the centre-top to bottom of the image.

The area is particularly known for soybean production. The country’s soybean output has increased by more than 3000% since the 1970s, and Brazil is the second largest global producer of soybeans after the US.

Other crops in this area include corn, coffee and cotton.

A distinctive feature in this image is the circles – mainly at the centre. These shapes were created by a central-pivot irrigation system, where a long water pipe rotates around a well at the centre of each plot. The varying colours show different types of crop, or different stages of growth.

The two-satellite Sentinel-2 mission is designed to monitor changing lands, including crop type and health. While the first satellite has been in orbit since 2015, its Sentinel-2B twin was launched on 7 March. Together, the satellites will provide new…