London at Night
Explanation:
Do you
recognize this
intriguing
globular cluster of stars?
It's actually the constellation of city lights surrounding
London,
England, planet Earth, as
recorded
with a digital camera from the
International Space Station.
Taken in February 2003, north is toward the top and slightly left
in this nighttime view.
The encircling "London Orbital" highway by-pass, the M25
(... but not
Messier
25), is easiest
to pick out
south of the city.
Even farther south are the lights of
Gatwick airport and just inside the western (left hand)
stretch of the Orbital is Heathrow.
The darkened Thames river estuary fans out to the city's east.
In particular, two small "
dark
nebulae" - Hyde Park and Regents Park -
stand out slightly west of the densely packed lights at the city's
core.
Have you seen this:
NASA Image of the Day?
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
