This image gives a slightly different view of the Sahara Desert in southwestern Libya compared to Dune. At the top of this image irrigation circles can be seen that show the difficulties of farming next to an expanding desert. A majority of the circles have been overrun by sand so that only a few are active. Another problem faced by these farms is that their water source is a fossil aquifer that was formed 8,000-10,000 years ago and is not being recharged. Current estimates indicate that this aquifer will be drained in approximately 10 years. The light blue areas are a thin covering of sand over the rock surface, and the gold areas are deeper layers of sand that have been shaped into large star dunes by the wind.

The area covered by this image is approximately 38x56 miles. A full-resolution crop of the image file is available here that shows the detail present in the full image print.