Nearly 80,000 people have swarmed to a temporary city set up in the middle of the Nevada desert for a 30-year-old annual tradition known as Burning Man.

Burning Man welcomed attendees to its site – dubbed Black Rock City – starting this past weekend for the nine-day festival. Thousands set up campers and tents as they prepared for a week of partying and enjoying art. The celebration culminates with the burning of an effigy, known as “the Man.”

Read more: A man was found dead at Burning Man, and police are investigating after his death was deemed ‘suspicious’

The Black Rock City “playa” is enormous. So big, in fact, that it can be seen from space. A satellite, belonging to space technology company Maxar Technologies, captured images of the Burning Man site on the day it welcomed attendees, and the photos show just how much of a production the festival is each year.

Take a look at some of the images taken from space of Burning Man 2019:


Here's your complete birds-eye view of what the Burning Man site looks like from space. The entire campsite has a circumference of about 10 miles.

Foto: sourceSatellite image ©2019 Maxar Technologies

Source: Business Insider


The site for Burning Man, called Black Rock City, is set up surrounding the festival's most important piece of art: The Man, an effigy that is set on fire at the end of the festival.

Foto: The set-up for the Man, the epicenter of Burning Man's Block Rock City.sourceSatellite image ©2019 Maxar Technologies

Black Rock City is set up to expect up to 80,000 attendees. The satellite images show the massive line of people checking into Burning Man on August 25 as the festival kicked off.

Foto: sourceSatellite image ©2019 Maxar Technologies

Source: Business Insider


With 80,000 people swarming the site, thousands of cars lined up to enter Burning Man. People are expected to pack whatever they need, since you can't buy anything on-site (except ice and coffee).

Foto: sourceSatellite image ©2019 Maxar Technologies

Some of the massive art installations, made of wild and bright colors, can be spotted in the satellite images. The theme of this year's Burning Man is metamorphoses, and the artwork adheres to that theme.

Foto: sourceSatellite image ©2019 Maxar Technologies

Source: Business Insider


Burning Man attracts everyone from influencers to Silicon Valley elite. Some of the ultra-wealthy set up luxury sites at Black Rock City and get there in private jets, which can land at Burning Man's designated Black Rock City Airport.

Foto: sourceSatellite image ©2019 Maxar Technologies

Source: Burning Man, Business Insider


One of Burning Man's key principles is "Leaving No Trace," which means that attendees must take everything they bring with them. The desert must look as attendees found it — empty.

Foto: sourceSatellite image ©2019 Maxar Technologies

Source: Business Insider