Dec 6, 2012

NASA released Thursday new stunning ‘black marble’ images of Earth at night. The images were constructed using cloud-free night images from a new NASA and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) satellite, according to NASA.

: The continental United States. The image was made possible by the satellite’s “day-night band” of the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS), which detects light in a range of wavelengths from green to near-infrared and uses filtering techniques to observe dim signals such as city lights, gas flares, auroras, wildfires and reflected moonlight. Many satellites are equipped to look at Earth during the day, when they can observe our planet fully illuminated by the sun. With a new sensor aboard the NASA-NOAA Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (NPP) satellite launched last year, scientists now can observe Earth’s atmosphere and surface during nighttime hours. (NASA Earth Observatory)

: This NASA composite map of the world assembled from data acquired by the Suomi NPP satellite in April and October 2012. The image was made possible by the satellite’s “day-night band” of the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS), which detects light in a range of wavelengths from green to near-infrared and uses filtering techniques to observe dim signals such as city lights, gas flares, auroras, wildfires and reflected moonlight. Many satellites are equipped to look at Earth during the day, when they can observe our planet fully illuminated by the sun. With a new sensor aboard the NASA-NOAA Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (NPP) satellite launched last year, scientists now can observe Earth’s atmosphere and surface during nighttime hours. (NASA Earth Observatory)

: A new global view of Earth’s city lights in a composite assembled from data acquired by the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (Suomi NPP) satellite. The data was acquired over nine days in April 2012 and thirteen days in October 2012. It took satellite 312 orbits and 2.5 terabytes of data to get a clear shot of every parcel of Earthâs land surface and islands. This new data was then mapped over existing Blue Marble imagery to provide a realistic view of the planet.The image was made possible by the satellite’s “day-night band” of the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS), which detects light in a range of wavelengths from green to near-infrared and uses filtering techniques to observe dim signals such as city lights, gas flares, auroras, wildfires and reflected moonlight. (NASA Earth Observatory)

: This image of North and South America at night is a composite assembled from data acquired by the Suomi NPP satellite in April and October 2012. (NASA Earth Observatory)

: Britain, Ireland and part of Western Europe as it appeared on the night of March 27, 2012. (NASA Earth Observatory)

: Part of the Atlantic coast of South America on the night of June 20, 2012. (NASA Earth Observatory)

: Asia and Australia at night, assembled from data acquired by the Suomi NPP satellite in April and October 2012. (NASA Earth Observatory)

: Europe, Africa, and the Middle East at night, assembled from data acquired by the Suomi NPP satellite in April and October 2012. (NASA Earth Observatory)

: South Asia during Diwali celebrations on the night of November 12, 2012. (NASA Earth Observatory)

: The area near the Korean Peninsula on the night of September 24, 2012. (NASA Earth Observatory)

: The area near the Nile River valley and delta on the night of October 13, 2012. (NASA Earth Observatory)

: The Nile River Valley and Delta comprise less than 5 percent of Egypt’s land area, but provide a home to roughly 97 percent of the country’s population. Nothing makes the location of human population clearer than the lights illuminating the valley and delta at night.

: Europe and North Africa at night. (NASA Earth Observatory)

: Europe, North Africa and the Middle East at night. (NASA Earth Observatory)

: On July 15, 2012, the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) on the Suomi NPP satellite captured this nighttime view of the aurora australis, or ‘southern lights,’ over Antartica’s Queen Maud Land and the Princess Ragnhild Coast. (NASA Earth Observatory)

: A new global view of Earth’s city lights in a composite assembled from data acquired by the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (Suomi NPP) satellite. The data was acquired over nine days in April 2012 and thirteen days in October 2012. It took satellite 312 orbits and 2.5 terabytes of data to get a clear shot of every parcel of Earthâs land surface and islands. This new data was then mapped over existing Blue Marble imagery to provide a realistic view of the planet.The image was made possible by the satellite’s “day-night band” of the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS), which detects light in a range of wavelengths from green to near-infrared and uses filtering techniques to observe dim signals such as city lights, gas flares, auroras, wildfires and reflected moonlight. (NASA Earth Observatory)

NASA publishes ‘black marble’ images of Earth at night
By Scott Dance, The Baltimore Sun
10:13 a.m. EST, December 6, 2012

The first images of Earth as seen from space, appearing as a swirly blue marble, were groundbreaking. Now NASA has published photos of Earth by night using infrared imaging technology via satellite.

The images show what is now a fairly familiar view of clusters of city lights, but what is different is it shows those twinkling lights from afar across the entire globe. You can see the darkened planet at various vantage points, as well as in an animated video, at NASA’s Earth Observatory website.

2 Comments

JoeP
Aug 01, 2013 @ 00:26:21

I like it! Very cool! Let there be LIGHT!

AndrewFee
Dec 06, 2012 @ 19:05:45

This is stunning photography. The human race reveals itself to all who watch from above. Nice work!

The Earth at night – NASA Earth Observatory’s Black Marble images

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