NASA views earth at night

NASA released a collection of night images of Earth, seen from the International Space Station.

Pictured: Central and Eastern Europe at night.

Atlantic Coast

One of the Expedition 30 crew members aboard the International Space Station took this nighttime photograph of much of the eastern Atlantic coast of the United States. Large metropolitan areas and other easily recognizable sites from the Virginia, Maryland, Washington, D.C. area spanning almost to Rhode Island were visible in the scene. Boston was just out of frame at right. Long Island and the Greater Metropolitan area of New York City were visible in the lower right quadrant. Large cities in Pennsylvania, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh were near center.

Southeastern US

The brightly lit metropolitan areas of Atlanta, Ga., (center), and Jacksonville, Fla., (lower right), appeared largest in the image with numerous other urban areas forming an interconnected network of light across the region. A large dark region to the northwest of Jacksonville was the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge; likewise the ridges of the Appalachian Mountains form dark swaths to the north of Atlanta and west of Charlotte, N.C., (center).

US East Coast

Philadelphia, New York City, Boston corridor (bottom center) is photographed, including western Lake Ontario shoreline with Toronto (left edge), Montreal (near center).

Greater Chicago

The Greater Chicago Metropolitan Area strung along the southwest shore of Lake Michigan. The region was partially covered by clouds, probably low-hanging, or even fog.

Los Angeles Area

This night time infrared image of the Los Angeles metropolitan area was photographed by an Expedition 30 crew member aboard the International Space Station.

Baltimore, Md.

A nighttime view of Baltimore, Md., was photographed by an Expedition 33 crew member in the International Space Station. Like many large US metropolitan areas, the most brightly lit area corresponds to the highest density of buildings and typically indicates the urban core, in this case, downtown Baltimore at center.

Las Vegas

The Vegas Strip (center) is reputed to be the brightest spot on Earth due to the concentration of lights associated with its hotels and casinos. The tarmac of McCarran International Airport to the south was a dark feature by comparison. The airstrips of Nellis Air Force Base on the northeastern fringe of the metropolitan area was likewise dark compared to the well-lit adjacent streets and neighborhoods.

Aurora Borealis over Canada

A very active Aurora Borealis (or the northern lights) was photographed from approximately 240 miles above Manitoba, Canada. Lake Winnipeg (lower right center) and the major city Winnipeg (bottom center) were easily recognizable in the nighttime scene.

Montreal

This photograph of the Montreal, the largest city in the Province of Quebec, illustrated the extent of urbanization made clearly visible by city lights at night. Major roadways and industrial areas were traced by bright white lighting, while the adjacent residential and commercial land uses were characterized by more diffuse yellow-gold lighting.

Eastern North Atlantic

One of the Expedition 30 crew members photographed this nighttime scene while the International Space Station was flying at an altitude approximately 240 miles over the eastern North Atlantic. Center point coordinates were 46.8 degrees north latitude and 14.3 degrees west longitude. The night lights of the cities of Ireland, in the foreground, and the United Kingdom, in the back and to the right, were contrasted by the bright sunrise in the background. The greens and purples of the Aurora Borealis (or the northern lights) was seen along the rest of the horizon.

Aurora Australis

Aurora Australis (or the southern lights) was photographed with star streaks while the vehicle was over the South Pacific Ocean. The picture was taken when the orbital outpost was above 47.8 degrees south latitude and 179.6 degrees west longitude, about 10 degrees east of southern New Zealand.

Moscow

Moscow, Russia was photographed at night nighttime image photographed by one of the Expedition 30 crew members aboard the International Space Station. The view is to the north-northwest from a nadir of approximately 49.4 degrees north latitude and 42.1 degrees east longitude, about 100 miles west-northwest of Volgograd. On the horizon in the background a small sample of Aurora Borealis (or the northern lights), airglow and daybreak could be seen.

France-Italy border

The brightly lit metropolitan areas of Torino, Italy, Lyon, and Marseille, France stood out amidst numerous smaller urban areas in this photograph. The image capturec the night time appearance of the France-Italy border area between the mountainous Alps to the north (not shown) and the island of Corsica in the Ligurian Sea to the south (top). The full moon reflected brightly on the water surface and also illuminated the tops of low patchy clouds over the border (center).

Milan, Italy

The metropolitan area of Milan illuminated the Italian region of Lombardy in a pattern evocative of a patchwork quilt. The city of Milan formed a dense cluster of lights in this astronaut photograph, with brilliant white lights indicating the historic center of the city where the Duomo di Milano (Milan Cathedral) is located.

Italy

This oblique, night time panorama of much of Europe was photographed from approximately 240 miles above the Mediterranean Sea. The country of Italy was visible running diagonally southward from the horizon across the center of the frame, with the night lights of Rome and Naples being visible on the coast near the center. Sardinia and Corsica were just above left center of the photo, and Sicily was at lower left.

Cairo and Alexandria

From 220 miles above Earth, one of the Expedition 25 crew members on the International Space Station took this night time photo featuring the bright lights of Cairo and Alexandria, Egypt on the Mediterranean coast. The Nile River and its delta stood out clearly as well. On the horizon, the airglow of the atmosphere was seen across the Mediterranean. The Sinai Peninsula, at right, was outlined with lights highlighting the Gulf of Suez and Gulf of Aqaba.

Middle East

Much of the Middle East in night time was photographed from 240 miles above the Mediterranean Sea. The Nile River Delta was easily recognizable in center frame, and city lights made it easy to see both Cairo and Alexandria, Egypt near the Delta. Two Russian spacecrafts, a Soyuz (left) and a Progress appeared in the frame while they were docked to the station.

Dubai

The City of Dubai, the largest metropolitan area within the emirate of Dubai, is a favorite subject of astronaut photography largely due to the unique island developments situated directly offshore in the Persian Gulf. These artificial archipelagos have been built such that their full design is only visible from the vantage point of an airplane — or an orbiting spacecraft such as the International Space Station.

Capetown

The southern tip of the African continent featuring Capetown, South Africa was photographed by one of the Expedition 25 crew members aboard the International Space Station from 220 miles above Earth.

Tokyo

From 220 miles above Earth, one of the Expedition 26 crew members aboard the International Space Station exposed this night time picture of the metropolitan area of Tokyo, Japan. The large majority of the heavily lighted, highly populated area is Tokyo proper. Yokohama was to the left, below center, along Tokyo Bay.

Sao Paulo

This image showed the sprawling urban footprint of Sao Paulo, Brazil, South America’s largest city with roughly 17 million people. The different colors (pink, white, and gray) defined different types and generations of streetlights. The port of Santos, on the right side of the photograph, was also well defined by lights.