Picture Of The Day Feb. 16, 2008 - Europe Is Lit



Courtesy NASA   ↔

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Imagine how much energy is wasted shining lights into space.  This was 13 years ago.

Streetlights are the source of most of the light seen in this image, but petroleum fires also contribute.

DMSP satellites, Data collected 1994-95
NASA/GSFC/Visualization Analysis Laboratory

Do you realize how difficult it is to find dark skies for astronomy?  Most people in major cities are used to gray skies at night and would have a hard time telling Saturn from Sirius.

Iv been in a few places that were so DARk they Glowed.

ECA, Even in this photo, you can see lights on the horizon.  The observatories at Kitt Peak and Big Bend (McDonald) have some of the darkest skies I've ever seen.  You can almost read by the light of the Millky Way, so I know what you mean.

http://cagematch.dvorak.org/index.php/topic,3075.0.html

also been in a forest during an overcast night...And seen LIGHT almost absorbed into the night...
couldnt see Anything, without light.  and the light was so bright, a candle would have given enough.

I miss my childhood.

I think it's fairly amazing you can almost pick out every capital city of every country, just by their relative brightness. That feels like it should mean something profoundly spiritual but I can't quite narrow it down.