Unique satellite instruments capture the view of the Olympic host city at night.
Published Jul 26, 2012
Satellite data reveals increases in December holiday lighting in the United States, mostly in the suburbs.
Published Dec 17, 2014Image of the Day Unique Imagery Human Presence Remote Sensing
Astronauts collect a lot of photos of Earth at night, but they don't always know what they are looking at. You can help.
Published Aug 30, 2014
The Suomi NPP satellite got a clear view of Western Europe, its nighttime lights, and its moonlit landscape.
Published Aug 8, 2020
City lights shone brightly in the United States as revelers welcomed the new year.
Published Jan 2, 2018
Connect the dots and history emerges.
Published May 23, 2017
This animated globe shows the city lights of the world as they appeared to the new Suomi NPP satellite, which has at least 10 times better light-resolving power than previous night-viewing satellites.
Published Dec 6, 2012Image of the Day Land Water Fires Unique Imagery Human Presence Remote Sensing
Night life takes on a new meaning when viewed from space.
Published Dec 9, 2012Image of the Day Land Fires Unique Imagery Human Presence Remote Sensing
New images from Suomi NPP are an order of magnitude better than previous satellite views of city lights.
Published Dec 14, 2012Image of the Day Land Fires Unique Imagery Human Presence Remote Sensing
Acquired in the early morning of February 23, 2013, this nighttime image shows snow cover spanning multiple states in the wake of a major snowstorm.
Published Feb 26, 2013
This astronaut photograph includes lights from several sources: cities, roads, fishing boats, gas flares, lightning, and even glowing air.
Published May 30, 2015
A nearly uninterrupted string of lights stretches from Philadelphia to Hartford.
Published May 1, 2017
Updated for 2012, this map of lights across America has a least 10 times better resolution than previous maps.
Published Dec 25, 2012
A satellite detected the visible light produced by electrically charged particles hitting the atmosphere—also known as the aurora australis.
Published Mar 21, 2017
Night lights not only speak to where we live, but how.
Published Mar 26, 2020Image of the Day Land Life Dust and Haze Human Presence Remote Sensing
The Suomi NPP satellite has a potent new sensor for distinguishing Earth’s night lights.
Published Nov 28, 2012
By removing natural and stray light sources, researchers get a clearer picture of the human footprint on Earth.
Published Apr 13, 2017Image of the Day Fires Unique Imagery Human Presence Remote Sensing
This nighttime photograph of Tokyo, Japan, was taken by International Space Station astronaut Dan Tani on February 5, 2008. The heart of the city is brightest, with ribbons of lights radiating outward from the center along streets and railways.
Published Apr 22, 2008
Early in the morning on July 6, 2013, a train carrying crude oil derailed in Lac-Mégantic, Quebec.
Published Jul 10, 2013
Tracking the brightness and location of manmade lights offers researchers an innovative way to track human activity on a global scale.
Published Dec 27, 2017
The lights of cities and villages trace the outlines of civilization in this global view.
Published Nov 27, 2012
