This satellite image was captured by DigitalGlobe’s GeoEye-1 satellite on Oct. 6, 2014. Portrait by artist Jorge Rodríguez-Gerada, commissioned by the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery; Satellite image collected by DigitalGlobe.

Out Of Many, One by Jorge Rodriguez-Gerada is a large-scale portrait, made of sand and soil, temporarily displayed on the National Mall for the month of October. The GeoEye-1 satellite, operated by DigitalGlobe, acquired a great image of Out Of Many, One on October 6, the same day the artist Jorge Rodriguez-Gerada spoke at the National Air and Space Museum. GeoEye-1 is able to return color images showing details as small as a few meters across. This image is an interesting example of the connections between aerospace technology and the visual arts. Although many people have seen Out Of Many, One from the ground and the top of the Washington Monument, the satellite provides the only way to view the portrait as intended: directly above. Andrew Johnston is a geographer in the Center for Earth and Planetary Studies at the National Air and Space Museum. See more from Andrew here.

Learn more about the portrait at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, DC.