Guides · Updated 2026-10-28

How to read satellite images in war reporting

Satellite images have become a standard part of war reporting. They can show damaged buildings, burned fields, new trenches or crowds at a border crossing. They can also mislead when the date, the resolution or the location are not what the caption suggests.

Resolution: what size things can you see?

Resolution is usually given in metres per pixel. Free public imagery, such as the European Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellites at about 10 metres per pixel, shows fields, large fires, rivers and big buildings, but not vehicles or individual craters. Commercial satellites can reach well under one metre per pixel, enough to see cars and damaged roofs. A blurry image is not necessarily fake; it may simply be lower resolution or enlarged beyond its detail.

The date matters most

Always check when the image was taken, not when it was published. A “before” picture may be months old, and an “after” picture may have been taken days after the event, when other things had changed. Reputable outlets state the capture date and the provider in the caption or credit line. If no date is given, treat the image as an illustration rather than as evidence of a recent event.

Clouds, smoke and angle

Optical satellites cannot see through clouds or thick smoke. Images are also often taken at an angle, so tall buildings lean and can hide what is behind them. Radar satellites can see through clouds and work at night, but their images look very different, show texture rather than colour, and need expert reading.

Fire detection is not damage detection

Systems such as NASA’s FIRMS show “thermal anomalies”, places that were unusually hot when a satellite passed. They are useful for spotting large fires, but a hotspot can also be a field fire, a gas flare or an industrial site. A hotspot alone does not show that something was attacked, and a small fire may not be detected at all.

Before-and-after comparisons

The most convincing satellite evidence compares two images of the same place, taken from a similar angle, at a similar time of day and in the same season. When you see a comparison, check that both images are labelled with dates, that the same buildings line up, and that the change described is visible without heavy zooming.

Common mistakes

• Comparing images from different seasons, where snow or vegetation changes look like damage.
• Treating shadows or construction sites as craters.
• Matching the wrong town because many places share a name.
• Assuming who caused damage from the damage itself. Satellite images rarely show that.

Related: Checking images and videos from conflict zones. The day–night shading and cloud layer on our map are for orientation only and are not used to confirm events.