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Credit & Copyright: NASA,
NOAA NGDC,
Suomi-NPP,
Earth Observatory,
Data and Processing: Chris Elvidge and Robert Simmon
Explanation:
Can you find your favorite
country
or
city?
Surprisingly, on this world-wide nightscape, 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 featured composite was created from images that were collected during cloud-free
periods in April and October 2012 by the
Suomi-NPP satellite,
from a polar orbit
about 824 kilometers above the surface, using its
Visible Infrared Imaging
Radiometer Suite (VIIRS).
Data and Processing: Chris Elvidge and Robert Simmon
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: Earth
Publications with words: Earth
See also:
- APOD: 2025 October 12 Á All the Water on Europa
- APOD: 2025 December 8 Á Flying Over the Earth at Night
- APOD: 2025 September 7 Á All the Water on Planet Earth
- APOD: 2025 June 15 Á Two Worlds One Sun
- APOD: 2024 December 29 Á Methane Bubbles Frozen in Lake Baikal
- Interplanetary Earth
- Earthset from Orion