NASA's Landsat satellites see Texas crop circles
Saturday, April 28, 2012 - 00:40
in Astronomy & Space
A water-rich polka dot pattern takes over the traditional rectangular patchwork of fields in a series of 40 years of Landsat images. In the dry Texas panhandle near the town of Dalhart, this transformation is due to center-pivot irrigation, a farming method that improves water distribution to fields. It was invented by farmer Frank Zybach in 1949.