How to Check a Satellite-Image Claim (2026)

Why is the map update date not the capture date?

The short answer

Three dates, not one. Every satellite image has a capture date, when the satellite took it. It also has a map update date, when a service published it, and a share date, when someone posted it. Viral posts usually show only the last two Strick, OSINT Field Notes #13 (14 Oct 2026).

The test that matters: does the image support the exact claim attached to it? Benjamin Strick frames verification around that question Strick, OSINT Field Notes #13 (14 Oct 2026).

Free tools to do it: Esri World Imagery Wayback and GeoWhisperer show dated high-detail basemaps. Copernicus Browser has Sentinel scenes every few days, and NASA Worldview has daily global views. Google Earth adds historical imagery. Sentinel Hub's EO Browser is gone; use Copernicus Browser instead Planet (5 Feb 2026).

The Gaza case. In late September 2026, posts and news stories said Google had just updated its satellite view of Gaza, including Rafah Bellingcat (1 Oct 2026). Bellingcat's Jake Godin found the imagery "wasn't entirely new". Google said the latest Gaza imagery had been available since June 2026. That June update used pictures Airbus captured in February 2026, credited on screen as "Airbus via Google Earth" Bellingcat (1 Oct 2026).

Bellingcat then used newer commercial pictures from Planet, including its high-detail SkySat satellites. The latest were from September 2026, about seven months after the Airbus images. They showed more demolition than the "new" Google view Bellingcat (1 Oct 2026). The viral images were real. They just did not show September 2026.

Every basemap works this way. A basemap (the seamless background imagery in a map app) is a mosaic stitched from many captures. Esri says the date of a Wayback release "does not indicate the actual vintage of individual images within the map" Esri (2018, updated 2024). Release names reflect when updates were published, "not the date when the imagery was captured" Esri (12 Nov 2020). To see the real capture date, click a point on the map to open its metadata pop-up Esri (2018, updated 2024).

What to write down: the capture date from the metadata, the provider credit shown on screen, and the service you viewed it in. Those three facts go into your citation later.

What is the five-step check for a satellite image claim?

Open-source investigator Benjamin Strick set out a five-question checklist in his newsletter on 14 October 2026 Strick, OSINT Field Notes #13 (14 Oct 2026). The steps below follow his order, in our words, with free tools added for each one.

Pin down the claim. Write one sentence saying what the image is supposed to prove: a place, a date, an event, a change. A vague claim cannot be checked.
Trace the image to where it first appeared. Run a reverse image search on the picture or screenshot. Look for the original post, the provider credit and any caption that has been cut off.
Confirm the location with a second provider. Find the same spot in another archive, such as Esri World Imagery Wayback Strick, OSINT Field Notes #13 (14 Oct 2026). Match fixed features: road junctions, field edges, building footprints. Our geolocation hub opens one set of coordinates in several imagery archives at once.
Separate the three dates. Note the capture date, the map update date and the date it was shared Strick, OSINT Field Notes #13 (14 Oct 2026). Only the capture date tells you what the ground looked like.
Compare with independent sources. Check other imagery, ground photos or video, and reporting. Strick warns that two map services may use the same underlying imagery Strick, OSINT Field Notes #13 (14 Oct 2026). Agreement between them is then one source, not two.

Watch for edits as well as old dates. Strick shows a Russian military site on Yandex Maps hidden under copy-and-paste squares of fake trees. He also shows copied forest over a military area of Seoul on Naver Maps. Google Earth blurs the same spot, while Esri shows buildings and roads Strick, OSINT Field Notes #13 (14 Oct 2026). Repeated identical patches are the tell. A second provider usually exposes them.

About AI watermarks: a detected watermark can help flag AI-made material. But Strick notes that finding none "does not establish that something is real" Strick, OSINT Field Notes #13 (14 Oct 2026). For checks on the file itself, see our image forensics guide.

Which free tools show dated satellite imagery?

Free satellite viewers for verification, as stated on each tool's own pages on 16 October 2026.

Tool	What it is good for	Cost and sign-up
Esri World Imagery Waybacklivingatlas.arcgis.com/wayback	Every dated release of Esri's high-detail basemap. Swipe mode compares two releases. Lists can be limited to versions with local changes Esri (12 Nov 2020). Click for capture-date metadata Esri (2018, updated 2024).	No price or sign-in rule stated on the Esri pages we read
GeoWhisperer (beta)by Henk van Ess	Compares dated Wayback releases by swipe, side by side or fade. Runs seven mechanical checks, such as whether two dates are really different images, plus a change reading. Exports both images, a report and a movie GeoWhisperer (checked 16 Oct 2026).	"Looking is free and needs no account" GeoWhisperer (checked 16 Oct 2026). Paid plans exist; no prices shown
Copernicus Browserbrowser.dataspace.copernicus.eu	EU Sentinel satellite scenes, including Sentinel-1 radar and Sentinel-2 optical, each with its own date. Exports can carry the data source and date as a caption Copernicus docs (checked 16 Oct 2026).	Free, but you need a free account Copernicus docs (checked 16 Oct 2026)
NASA Worldviewworldview.earthdata.nasa.gov	Daily global images, "generally available within three hours of observation" NASA Worldview (checked 16 Oct 2026). Over 1,000 layers; some span almost 30 years Worldview on GitHub (checked 16 Oct 2026). Use it for timing, not fine detail.	NASA says its data is freely available to the public NASA Worldview (checked 16 Oct 2026)
Google Earth historical imagery	Past captures for the same spot, with the provider credited on screen Bellingcat (1 Oct 2026).	Included in the Standard plan, listed at $0 per user per month Google Earth plans (updated 8 Oct 2026)
Google Earth "Detect change"	A heatmap of where change happened between two years, 2017 to 2025 Google Maps Platform (23 Sep 2026). A lead finder, not proof (see below).	Experimental. Google says it is available on Google Earth web for Standard plan users Google Maps Platform (23 Sep 2026)
Sentinel Hub EO Browser	Retired. Planet said it would stop being accessible on 20 March 2026 Planet (5 Feb 2026). The page now says it "has been deprecated" Sentinel Hub (checked 16 Oct 2026).	Use Copernicus Browser for public data

Use them together. Wayback and Google Earth give sharp but infrequent pictures. Copernicus Browser and Worldview give frequent but much coarser ones. A claim about a destroyed building needs the first kind. A claim about a fire front or a flood can often be tested with the second.

Commercial imagery fills the gaps. Bellingcat's Gaza check relied on paid Planet imagery that was seven months newer than Google's Bellingcat (1 Oct 2026). If the free archives have nothing recent, say so plainly. Do not let an old free image stand in for "now".

GeoWhisperer's own limits: dated high-detail photos appear at zoom levels 16 to 18. Esri sometimes updates a place years apart, so "not every change is there" GeoWhisperer (checked 16 Oct 2026). Its change reading covers only the square in the middle of the map GeoWhisperer (checked 16 Oct 2026).

How does Google Earth’s "Detect change" help, and where can it mislead?

What it does. Google launched Detect change on 23 September 2026 as an experimental tool in Google Earth Google Maps Platform (23 Sep 2026). You pick a baseline year and a target year between 2017 and 2025 and draw an area. It then builds a heatmap layer at 10-metre resolution showing where change happened Google Maps Platform (23 Sep 2026). The quick preview inside the dialog is coarser, at 40 metres Google Earth docs (checked 16 Oct 2026).

What it is built on. It uses Google's AlphaEarth Foundations Satellite Embedding dataset. That data blends optical, multispectral, thermal and radar (SAR) observations into one summary for each 10-metre patch Google Maps Platform (23 Sep 2026).

Why it can mislead. It detects change, not its cause. Google's documentation says it can flag changes that do not show up in imagery, such as soil moisture, flooding or biomass Google Earth docs (checked 16 Oct 2026). Intervals are annual only, and they may not line up with the dates of individual pictures Google Earth docs (checked 16 Oct 2026).

How to use it safely. Treat each hot spot as a place to look. Then open historical imagery for both years and compare the spot by eye, as Google itself advises Google Earth docs (checked 16 Oct 2026). Never publish a heatmap as proof that something was destroyed or built. The documentation labels it "Experimental (pre-GA)", so it may change Google Earth docs (checked 16 Oct 2026).

How sharp is the image, and can it show what is claimed?

Resolution sets the limit. Resolution here means how much ground one pixel covers. Sentinel-2's sharpest bands are 10 metres; others are 20 or 60 metres Copernicus docs, Sentinel-2 (checked 16 Oct 2026). One 10-metre pixel covers 100 square metres, more than a family car. A claim about vehicles, people or a single small building cannot be settled with Sentinel-2.

Frequency is the trade-off. Sentinel-2 revisits every 5 days at the equator with two satellites, and every 2 to 3 days at mid-latitudes Copernicus docs, Sentinel-2 (checked 16 Oct 2026). High-detail basemaps are sharper but may be years apart at any one place GeoWhisperer (checked 16 Oct 2026).

Ask what size the claimed change is. Then pick imagery at least that sharp. A flattened neighbourhood shows at 10 metres. A missing roof on one house needs high-detail commercial or aerial imagery. For scale, aerial imagery of northern Gaza briefly appeared on Israel's GovMap portal. Strick reports that analyst Nathan Ruser preserved it at 13 cm resolution Strick, OSINT Field Notes #13 (14 Oct 2026).

Do not over-zoom. Enlarging a coarse image does not add detail. If you cannot see the feature at the image's native scale, the image cannot confirm it.

What about clouds, shadows and sun angle?

Clouds. Sentinel-2 carries an optical instrument Copernicus docs, Sentinel-2 (checked 16 Oct 2026), so like a camera it cannot see the ground through cloud. Sentinel-2 products include cloud masking (a layer marking cloudy pixels) Copernicus docs, Sentinel-2 (checked 16 Oct 2026). If clouds cover the spot on the claimed date, try the next clear pass and say how many days apart they are.

Shadows. In one image, all shadows should fall the same way. Their direction and length depend on the sun's position, which depends on place, date and time. That makes shadows a cross-check on a claimed date or season:

Use a sun-position calculator such as SunCalc for the claimed place and date. Our geolocation guide explains the method.
Bellingcat's free ShadowFinder works the other way. From an object's height, its shadow length and a date and time, it maps where on Earth such a shadow could occur Bellingcat ShadowFinder (checked 16 Oct 2026).
Shadows pointing different ways inside one picture can mean a mosaic of captures, or an edit.

Season. Snow, leaf cover and crop colour should match the claimed date. GeoWhisperer runs a season check on the two dates it compares GeoWhisperer (checked 16 Oct 2026). For weather clues on the ground, see our weather chronolocation tool.

How do you cite a satellite image properly?

A good citation lets someone else find the same picture. Include these seven items:

Provider: who owns the picture (for example Airbus, Planet or Copernicus Sentinel), not just the app.
Platform: where you viewed it (Google Earth, Esri Wayback release name, Copernicus Browser).
Capture date: from the metadata, not the release name.
Location: latitude and longitude of the centre of your crop.
Resolution: if the source states it.
Your changes: crop, enhancement, annotation.
Date accessed: basemaps change, so say when you looked.

Example: Satellite image © Airbus via Google Earth, captured February 2026, viewed 16 Oct 2026 at [latitude, longitude]; cropped and annotated by the author. Bellingcat's Gaza piece shows the provider credit you should carry over Bellingcat (1 Oct 2026).

Follow the provider's own rules.

Google: you "must provide attribution to Google and, if applicable, to our data providers". The credit must stay visible while the image is shown. Do not crop it out, and "Google" or its logo alone is not enough Google geo guidelines (checked 16 Oct 2026). Google allows "a handful of static images, with proper attribution, for non-commercial purposes such as news" Google geo guidelines (checked 16 Oct 2026).
Copernicus Sentinel: use "Copernicus Sentinel data [Year]", or "Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data [Year]" if you processed it Copernicus Sentinel data licence (checked 16 Oct 2026). The licence grants free access to the data Copernicus Sentinel data licence (checked 16 Oct 2026).
Commercial providers such as Planet or Airbus set terms in each licence. Check yours before you publish.

Keep a copy. Save the image, its metadata pop-up and the page address in an evidence log. Our evidence logger records and hashes captures in your browser.

Sources

Every source was read on 16 October 2026. Tool details come from each tool's own pages. Strick's checklist is paraphrased with credit.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Google Maps satellite view live?

No. Google Maps and Google Earth show pictures bought from imagery providers and published later, often months after capture. Bellingcat found that Gaza imagery Google published in June 2026 had been captured in February 2026. For anything recent, look for a dated scene in Copernicus Browser or NASA Worldview, or for commercial imagery.

Can I find the capture date from a screenshot alone?

Rarely. A screenshot may keep the provider credit but usually loses the date. Find the same spot in Esri Wayback or Google Earth historical imagery and read the date there, then check that the details match. If nothing matches, ask the person who posted it where the image came from.

Are free satellite images sharp enough to verify an attack or a fire?

It depends on the size of what is claimed. Free Sentinel-2 scenes resolve 10 metres at best, which suits large burn areas, floods or a cleared neighbourhood. They cannot show a single vehicle or a small crater. Higher-detail free basemaps exist but are updated irregularly.

Can satellite images be faked or edited?

Yes. Map providers have hidden sites by pasting copies of forest over them, and AI tools can generate convincing fakes. Compare the spot in a second provider, look for repeated identical patches, and check shadows. A missing AI watermark does not prove an image is real.

Does Google Earth Detect change cost money?

Google says Detect change is available on Google Earth web to Standard plan users. Its plans page lists Standard at 0 dollars per user per month. The tool is labelled experimental and pre-GA, so access and features may change.

Do I need permission to publish a Google Earth screenshot?

Google allows a handful of static images with proper attribution for non-commercial purposes such as news, and lists periodicals as permitted for print. The attribution must name Google and the data provider and stay visible. Street View imagery may not be used in print.

Next step

Open the spot in more than one archive. Paste the coordinates into our geolocation hub. It opens the same point in several satellite and map services, so you can compare capture dates side by side.