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In daylight, our big blue marble is all land, oceans and clouds. |
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But the night is electric. |
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Seen from space, our planet comes alive with light. |
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This new view of the Earth's night lights is a composite of data acquired by the polar orbiting Suomi NPP satellite. |
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Aboard the satellite, a newly designed instrument called VIIRS is able to collect what scientists say is a remarkably detailed view of the Earth at night. |
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In some places, city lights resemble solitary stars in the night sky. |
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In other places, dense clusters of galaxies. |
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The satellite can even distinguish brightly lit boats that line Egypt's Nile River. |
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And the massive flames from gas flares produced as a byproduct of oil and gas exploration in the Middle East. |
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As the satellite passes over the darkness of the Himalayas, it shows how human settlement is bound by natural borders. |
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Even political borders are starkly visible in this view of North and South Korea. |
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And in a line of fishing boats that dot the Yellow Sea. |
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But not all light is electric. Glowing just as bright, flaming wildfires burn across Australia. |
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This new view of the Earth at night offers a unique perspective for exploring the many places in which we live, |
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and seeing the impact of human populations around the world, no matter how faint or how bright their lights shine. |
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