{"id":57871,"date":"2024-04-29T11:09:59","date_gmt":"2024-04-29T11:09:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/438c1bcd-3d8e-474f-87f7-0f19a25ca6a9"},"modified":"2024-04-29T12:08:23","modified_gmt":"2024-04-29T12:08:23","slug":"astronaut-photographs-northern-europe-at-night-from-the-space-station-capturing-a-cosmic-web-of-light-pollution","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/rss_feed\/astronaut-photographs-northern-europe-at-night-from-the-space-station-capturing-a-cosmic-web-of-light-pollution\/","title":{"rendered":"Astronaut photographs northern Europe at night from the Space Station, capturing a ‘cosmic web’ of light pollution"},"content":{"rendered":"

Image captures the light pollution of major cities like London, Paris and Amsterdam. <\/p>

By Iain Todd\n <\/p>

Published: Monday, 29 April 2024 at 11:09 AM<\/p>

\n\n

This stunning image of Earth from space shows the lights of the major cities of northwestern Europe, captured by an astronaut on board the International Space Station.<\/p>

The International Space Station<\/a> orbits Earth once every 90 minutes, travelling at 17,500 miles\/28,000 kilometres per hour, 400km above the ground.<\/p>

See more pictures of Earth from space<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>

Credit: NASA<\/figcaption><\/figure>

This means that astronauts on board the Space Station get fabulous views of our planet: its cities, mountains, deserts, oceans and rainforests.<\/p>

Views of Earth from space showing the night side of our planet are particularly spectacular, as this image makes clear.<\/p>

It was captured on 19 January 2024 and clearly shows the major cities of northern Europe, distinguished as huge blobs of artificial lighting peppered around the continent.<\/p>

\"Image
Image of Europe at Night from space, including London, Paris and Amsterdam. Click to expand. Credit: International Space Station (ISS) Crew Earth Observations Facility and the Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit, Johnson Space Center<\/figcaption><\/figure>

Image of an increasing issue?<\/strong><\/h2>

While most of us will look at this image and see mostly beauty, it does also bring into focus the ever-increasing light pollution<\/a> caused by artificial lighting in major towns and cities.<\/p>

Many argue that light pollution is becoming a bigger problem, and it’s not just backgarden astronomers who are worried.<\/p>

Artificial lighting is thought to have a detrimental effect on the natural day-night cycle experienced by flora and fauna, including humans.<\/p>

\"Labelled
Labelled image of Europe at Night from space, including London, Paris and Amsterdam. Click to expand. Credit: International Space Station (ISS) Crew Earth Observations Facility and the Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit, Johnson Space Center<\/figcaption><\/figure>

Most prominent in the image are London (top), Paris (left) and Amsterdam (right).<\/p>

Strands of light in the shape of major motorways linking Europe’s towns and cities can be seen, and are reminiscent of the Cosmic Web structure of the Universe.<\/p>

\"An
An artist\u2019s impression showing part of the cosmic web, a structure of galaxies extending across the sky. Credit: M. Weiss\/CfA<\/figcaption><\/figure>

Also visible is the curved edge of Earth – known as its limb – near the top of the image, and a green glow that could be the aurora or airglow.<\/p>

The image was captured using a Nikon D5 digital camera and a focal length of 24 millimetres and was released by the International Space Station (ISS) Crew Earth Observations Facility and the Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit, Johnson Space Center.<\/p>

earthobservatory.nasa.gov<\/strong><\/a><\/p> <\/body><\/html>\n

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