Las Vegas from space: 1987 to 2026

Suburbs spread across the valley while Lake Mead fell. Drag the handle to compare 1987 (Landsat) with 2026 (Sentinel-2).

Las Vegas in 1987, satellite view Las Vegas in 2026, satellite view 19872026

Explore Las Vegas in the satellite tool → Every year since 1987, radar, temperature, change maps and more.

Land cover around the centre

1987-07-18

  • Dense vegetation0%
  • Healthy vegetation1%
  • Sparse vegetation12%
  • Bare ground86%
  • Water / built-up0%

2026-11-12

  • Dense vegetation1%
  • Healthy vegetation3%
  • Sparse vegetation19%
  • Bare ground72%
  • Water / built-up5%

Plant-health classes (NDVI) over roughly 10 km around the centre, clouds removed. Landsat and Sentinel-2 differ slightly in resolution; read the shares as a trend, not a survey.

How to read it

The left image is a Landsat scene from 1987-07-18, 30 metres per pixel. The right is a Sentinel-2 scene from 2026-11-12, 10 metres per pixel. Both are true colour: what a person would see from orbit. Sand is pale, water dark, vegetation green, cities grey.

In the satellite tool you can step through every year in between, switch to plant health, water, burn or surface temperature, draw an area to measure what changed, and watch the place for new passes.

More places from space

Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2026 · Landsat courtesy USGS · via Microsoft Planetary Computer.