Astronomers "NASA" presented his own view of our planet: thanks to the satellite that was recently launched, they were able to show with unprecedented clarity, how the Earth looks in the dark. On the website "NASA" noted that the sensitive equipment in addition to the "glow" of cities has captured the torches of oil and gas fields and the lights of ships in the night.
Night lights of earth from space 2012
The satellite called "Suomi NPP", has a super-sensitive radiometer "VIIRS" launched last year. He orbited our planet as much as 312 times, to make shots of all Islands and each area of the continents.
"Reuters" says that the images that were made in October and April when the weather is cloudless compared with the staff forty years ago; the famous photograph of the planet made by "Apollo 17" and named "blue marble". Present night photos of the planet were called the "black marble".
The earth photographed from satellites for forty years, and not only for the purpose of weather forecasting. Nevertheless, "Suomi NPP" was the first camera designed to take photographs at night.
Africa, Europe and the middle East at night, view from space, October 2012
Steve Miller is an employee who works directly with the satellite "Suomi NPP" noted that "Land should be seen not only in daytime but also at night". Miller also noted that "Our planet unlike us never sleeps".
"NASA" has noticed that "glow" night lights of the Earth is extremely uneven: "In some places, the city is lit up like a huge cluster of galaxies, the other is a something like a lonely star in the night sky".
The Nile river in Africa at night, view from space
Amazingly beautiful lit navigable rivers, for example, most strongly on the General background is the Nile. Everything else from space shows that humanity is still limited by the landscapes of nature. "Black marble" allowed to see some of the political problems of the world. As the authors explain in the frames of South and North Korea contrasted quite abruptly and in the middle East can clearly see the clusters of torches to oil and gas development.
Korea and the Yellow sea by night, view from space
Night lights of the earth, view from space of the world night
The equipment of the satellite operates differently than a regular camera, so pictures taken at night, out to be clear. Camera "Suomi NPP" work in the following way: they take pictures of small sections of the panorama, and then blends the resulting pixels in the picture. The Committee reviews each piece separately – if the frame lighter or darker than necessary, it is being finalized. In addition, the satellite act three cameras simultaneously, in order to select the best frames.
Photos courtesy of: picslife.ru
