Earth at Night
Explanation:
This is what the
Earth
looks like at night.
Can you find your favorite
country
or
city?
Surprisingly, city lights make this task quite possible.
Human-made
lights highlight particularly developed or
populated areas of the Earth's surface,
including the seaboards of
Europe, the eastern
United States, and
Japan.
Many large cities are located near
rivers or
oceans so that they can exchange goods cheaply by boat.
Particularly
dark areas include the central parts of
South America,
Africa,
Asia, and
Australia.
The
above image is actually a composite of
hundreds of pictures made by the orbiting
DMSP satellites.
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.