Cities from Space - End of the tour

We conclude our orbital tour of light pollution with an image taken on December 11, 2011 (just just 20 days ago) by the Expedition 30 crew of the International Space Station.

Image from NASA's The Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth

 The photos shows the northeastern United States - from the top town is New York, NY; Philadelphia, PA; Baltimore, MD and Washington, DC. Just to the right of the bit the space station that is visible is the green glow of the northern lights and the curve of Earth's air glow.

The image was part of a sequence of images that were assembled into this short video sequence:

Another image from the ISS Expedition 30 crew, taken December 4th, shows a wide view of western Europe:

You can see Spain and Portugal, with Lisbon in the foreground near the Atlantic Ocean and Madrid in the middle of Spain. Again, this is part of a longer sequence, this time shot with two cameras, that make this video:

Both the photos and videos show dense, light polluted, population centers.

I hope that you have enjoyed this month-long tour of city lights from space.  There are more interesting photos to share and from time to time they'll be posted here.

Cities from Space - Las Vegas, NV

Our orbital tour of cities from space is nearly over.  We return to the U.S. for a look at Las Vegas, NV:

Image from NASA's The Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth

Yes, it's Vegas, baby. The image was taken on November 30, 2010 by the Expedition 26 crew of the International Space Station. The Vegas Strip is often cited as being one of the brightest places on Earth, but I cannot confirm that.

Certainly there are no lighting controls where light is beamed up on a regular basis. The Luxor is a light trap that ensnares insects and birds alike with its bright beams. The glow can be seen many miles away in Death Valley. For another nighttime view of Vegas from the ground be sure to check out this GigaPan image.

Check out the video below, Does Las Vegas Care About their Light Pollution?

Cities from Space - Johannesburg, South Africa

We return to Africa with a stop in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Image from NASA's The Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth

 The image was taken January 11, 2011 by the Expedition 26 crew of the International Space Station.

Of course away from the cities there are amazingly dark skies in Africa. Check out this video from Namibia:

Cities from Space - Brasilia, Brazil

Today we look at Brasilia, Brazil with an image taken January 8, 2011 by the Expedition 26 crew of the International Space Station:

Image from NASA's The Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth

Here is an annotated version of the photo above:

I confess that I do not know much about the light pollution situation in the cities of Brazil.  If anyone has anything to add, please leave a comment.

Cities from Space - Melbourne & Sydney, Australia

The world tour of city lights from space heads Down Under today as Visible Suns looks at Melbourne & Sydney, Australia.

First up is Melbourne with an image that was taken January 15, 2011 by the Expedition 26 crew of the International Space Station:

Image from NASA's The Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth

Next is Sydney:

The image of Sydney was taken April 5, 2003 by the ISS Expedition 6 crew.

The International Dark-Sky Association maintains its Australia/Asia-Pacific Regional Office in Turramurra, New South Wales 2074
Australia. For more information on light pollution in the area be sure to check out the Sydney Outdoor Lighting Improvement Society, the Strathfield Light Pollution File and the Light Pollution Awareness page from the Astronomical Society of New South Wales.

Tomorrow, Brasilia, Brazil. 

Cities from Space - Singapore

Today's city is Singapore. As you can see there is a tremendous amount of light shining up from Singapore. The dark areas include a large nature preserve and regions of water.

The view from above and judging from how things look on the ground, I am guessing that there aren't much of any light pollutions controls in Singapore. The bright skyglow of Singapore is visible from quite a distance away.

To me what is most astonishing about this view of Singapore is that even the boats off shore are brightly illuminated.  Take a look at this zoom of the above shot:

One would think that sailing away from this city of over 5 million people would provide the opportunity to experience darkness.  That can't happen on a brightly illuminated boat.

This world tour is nearing its end. Tomorrow we (finally) cross the equator and head for Australia.

Cities from Space - Taipei, Taiwan

Today we head south from Tokyo to Taipei, Taiwan:

Image from NASA's The Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth

Unlike Beijing, which seems to be dominate by low-pressure sodium lighting, or Seoul, which it dominated by white LED lighting, or even Tokyo which is predominantly mercury vapor, Taipei seems to have different regions of lighting.  There are patches of orange LPS and large sections of green mercury vapor. I don't know if the city's lights are in transition or not.

Light pollution is a problem in Taipei and people are complaining about it.

The photo of Taipei was taken by the Expedition 26 crew of the International Space Station on December 22, 2010.

This is unrelated to the whole world tour of city lights from space, but it is Christmas (already after Christmas in Taipei) and this is one of my favorites:

Merry Christmas!

Cities from Space - Tokyo, Japan

Today we head to Japan for a look at Tokyo:

Image from NASA's The Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth

And as a bonus here are Kobe-Osaka, Japan:

The Kobe-Osaka area (looking a little bit like a Cylon Raider) and Tokyo reveal yet another style of street lighting - mercury vapor. The blueish-green mercury vapor lights have been banned in the U.S. and will soon be banned in the EU too. Even though some people apparently love them they are big light polluters and inefficient sources of light, making them a great source of light to be phased out.

The photo of Tokyo was taken February 5, 2008 and Kobe-Osaka January 26, 2008. Both were by the Expedition 16 crew of the International Space Station.

Next up, Taipei, Taiwan.

Spectacular Comet Lovejoy

Comet Lovejoy is putting on an amazing show for everyone free of light pollution who also happens to  be in the southern hemisphere.  It is also looking mighty fine from space as is shown in this photo taken today by ISS commander Dan Burbank.

An even more amazing photo is here. The photo was taken by Gabriel Brammer and shows the Moon, Comet Lovejoy, the Milky Way and one of the telescopes of the VLT while it was firing a sodium laser for adaptive optics. It is my astrophoto of the year.  Go check it out.

Cities from Space - Seoul, South Korea

Today we look at Seoul, South Korea. The photo below was taken one year ago today - December 23, 2010 by the Expedition 26 crew of the International Space Station.

If you have been looking at the other cities shown here this month you'll notice that Seoul doesn't look like anything we've seen so far.  The streetlights here are predominantly white:

Image from NASA's The Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth

While there is still some orange low-pressure sodium it seems that Seoul has made the switch to white LED lighting.  The conversion to white light seems to be on its way here in the U.S. and it will be a sweeping change in the way we light our streets. There is some promise of good things that can come with LED lighting - they are very directional and they can be dimmed after hours.

If the photo above is any guide the lights in Seoul are of a very high color temperature, meaning that they are very rich in blue light.  There are potential dangers associated with this. Hopefully as the switch comes to the U.S. there will be limits in place that will ensure that the lights are of a much lower color temperature.

Have a look at the two LED lights below and you'll notice that the higher color temperature lamp on the left looks blue and the lower temperature one on the right looks yellow.

The yellowish light on the right is made up of a different mix of light. It has less blue in it. While this is not as attractive astronomically as a narrow-band light source (like low-pressure sodium), the lower color temperature lamp will produce less skyglow than the higher temperature one (if all other things like level of illumination and light fixtures are equal).

Back to Seoul, there are measures in place to begin fighting light pollution in there, although just a few months ago there were stories about proliferation of light pollution from neon beacons on churches there.

Tomorrow we head to Japan.

Cities from Space - Beijing, China

We start today by looking at Beijing, China. This image was taken December 11, 2011 by the Expedition 26 crew of the International Space Station.

Image from NASA's The Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth

A little over 70 miles southeast of Beijing are the cities of Tianjin and Wuqing China.

Most of the lighting in the cities looks like the orange glow of low-pressure sodium, yet they look distinctly different from almost any of the other cities shown on this tour.

The second image shown here was taken April 19, 2011 by the ISS Expedition 27 crew.

The International Dark Sky Association does have Chapters in China.

Next up is Seoul, South Korea. 

Cities from Space - Dehli, India

Through some scattered clouds, it is Delhi, India as photographed December 9, 2010 by the Expedition 26 crew of the International Space Station:

Image from NASA's The Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth

According to Wikipedia the 2011 census of India, the population of Delhi is 16,753,235. It has an astonishing population density was 11,297 persons per km².

Light pollution is a recognized problem there and the Times of India has run numerous articles on it (like this one). There is an effort to fight light pollution and protect the night skies there.  For more on that and to learn about the Great Indian Star Count visit http://www.projectdarkskies.org/. 

Next on this world tour of city lights from space we head to China.

Cities from Space - Moscow, Russia

It's Moscow, Russia at night & from space:

This image was tweeted May 10, 2010 by astronaut Soichi Noguchi while he was aboard the International Space Station. He described this as the "Golden Rings" of Moscow.

You can see a map of Moscow with a light pollution map of the city here.

Next we head far to the southeast with a look at New Dehli, India.

Cities from Space - Tel Aviv, Israel

Today we look at Tel Aviv, Israel. The photo was taken February 22, 2010 by the International Space Station Expedition 26 crew.

Image from NASA's The Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth

Studies looking at light pollution in Israel have indicated a direct link between light at night and breast cancer. Further studies suggest that blue light at night especially increases risks for health problems. For more on this, have a look at this page from the Campaign For Dark Skies website.

For more on fighting light pollution in Israel, you can contact the Israel Chapter of the International Dark-Sky Association.  A direct link to their website is here. 

Tomorrow we swing way to the north to take a look at Moscow, Russia.

Cities from Space - Dubai, United Arab Emirates

It is Dubai of the United Arab Emirates as photographed by the Expedition 26 crew of the International Space Station on December 9, 2010.

Image from NASA's The Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth

Near the upper left is one of the Palm Islands (I believe it is Palm Jumeira) - the first of three constructed Palm Tree islands there.  Nothing in Dubai seems done half way and that certainly holds true for for the lighting as Dubai is one of the most light polluted cities in the world.

Starry Night Over Dubai by Babak Trafreshi

Click on the photo caption for more information.

Tomorrow we look at Tel-Aviv, Israel.

Cities from Space - Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

The voyage continues. Today's stop is Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The photo was taken a December 9, 2010 by the Expedition 26 crew of the International Space Station.

Image from NASA's The Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth

Riyadh is a city of over 5 million people.  Earlier this year a conference on Architectural Lighting was held there.  One of the sessions was a panel discussion called "The dark skies debate – How much light is too much?" Points addressed were:

Investigating the theory of light pollution and its relevance
How much of an effect does light pollution have on the environment and nature?
Weighing up the costs and benefits of the dark skies initiative

I am glad to hear the issue was discussed, but looking at the photo above, they have a long way to go.

Next up? Dubai.

Cities from Space - Cairo, Egypt

The city lights of Cairo, Egypt illuminate the desert night in this photo taken December 18, 2010 by the Expedition 26 crew of the International Space Station:

Image from NASA's The Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth

From space it is difficult to gauge the dramatic impact of light pollution.  Perhaps no image does it better than this one taken by PK Chen showing the nighttime view in the desert near Cairo.

Tomorrow Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Cities from Space - Istanbul, Turkey

Today have a look at the city lights of Istanbul (not Constantinople), Turkey as photographed December 18, 2010 by the Expedition 26 crew of the International Space Station:

Image from NASA's The Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth

The skyline of Istanbul makes for one of the images featured in the International Dark-Sky Association's Practical Guide #1 - an Introduction to Light Pollution. For another photo showing skyglow from Istanbul, be sure to check out Winter Fisheye over at The World at Night.

Tomorrow look for Cairo, Egypt.

Cities from Space - Athens, Greece

Today we see Athens, Greece at night from space. The photo was taken by the Expedition 26 crew of the International Space Station on December 18, 2010:

Image from NASA's The Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth

With a population nearing 4 million people, Athens Greece is a major source of light pollution. The photo below won a 2010 Dark Skies Awareness Photo Contest.

Light pollution from Athens illuminates the Poseidon temple in Cape Sounion

The skies were a source of inspiration for some of the classic Greek myths. Anyone living in the big cities of Greece now would have a difficult time drawing much inspiration from the sky.

Up tomorrow will be Istanbul, Turkey.

Cities from Space - Milan, Italy

Here is Milan, Italy - a city of 1.3 million people - as photographed on December 18, 2010 by the Expedition 26 crew of the International Space Station:

Image from NASA's The Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth

Here is a short, silent time lapse video taken apparently in Switzerland. The distant glow comes from the light pollution of Milan.

Next up on our tour of cities from space at night will be Athens, Greece.

Cities for Space - Madrid, Spain

It is day 12 of the orbital tour of cities at night from space. Today on Visible Suns it is Madrid, Spain. The photo was taken on February 11, 2011 by the Expedition 26 crew of the International Space Station:

Image from NASA's The Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth

I passed through Madrid & spent just one night there on my way to and back from the Starlight Conference on the island of La Palma in 2007.

I confess that I don't recall much about the lights of Madrid from on the ground.  La Palma & the Starlight conference (can you find me in the group photo below?) is another story.  In a future blog post (most likely during Global Astronomy Month in April) I will post my photos of the del Roque de los Muchachos Observatory.

Next up on this orbital tour of cities from space at night will be Milan, Italy.

Total Lunar Eclipse December 10, 2011

Here are a few of my photos from yesterday morning's total lunar eclipse. A lunar eclipse occurs when the Sun and Moon are directly opposite of each other and the Moon passes through Earth's Shadow.

From Tucson, AZ the eclipse began in darkness but peaked as the Moon was slipping below the horizon. This was as the Sun was rising so the dramatic color of a total lunar eclipse was lost in the growing brightness of the twilight sky. Still, it was an enjoyable show.

5:53 a.m. MST

6:27 a.m. MST

Partially Eclipsed Moon over houses 6:49 a.m. MST

Moon disappearing below nearby hills 7:08 a.m. MST

The next total lunar eclipse for the Americas will be in April, 2014.

Cities from Space - Paris, France

Here is Paris, France in a photo taken February 22, 2010 by the Expedition 26 crew of the International Space Station:

Image from NASA's The Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth

Perhaps best known as "the City of Light", Paris might also be called "the city of light pollution"

Cities from Space - London, England

Today's image is London, England (with a few clouds). The photo was taken February 4, 2003 by the Expedition 6 crew of the International Space Station.

Image from NASA's The Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth

London is not known for its dark skies, but the dark sky movement is very much gaining hold in England and all of the United Kingdom.

The British Astronomical Association's Campaign for Dark Skies is active in fighting light pollution. The UK is home to Galloway Forest Park (Scotland), the UK's first International Dark Sky Park; the Isle of Sark, the world's first Dark Sky Island (and an International Dark Sky Community); and Exmoor National Park - an International Dark Sky Reserve.

To keep up with the astronomy and dark sky news in the UK I highly recommend Steve Owens' blog Dark Sky Diary.

Cities from Space - Montreal, Canada

Today is our third and final stop in Canada as we look at the city of Montreal, Canada. The image was taken January 24, 2010 by the Expedition 26 crew of the International Space Station:

Image from NASA's The Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth

Here is a labeled version of the photo:

 Like most big cities Montreal does not qualify as a dark sky place, but Canada does enjoy some pristine skies. Like the International Dark-Sky Association, the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada is very active about certifying Dark-Sky Sites.

Both organizations realize the importance of preserving and sharing the night sky. By creating programs that let city-dwellers experience the beauty of the night sky they can hopefully return to their home and affect positive change where they live.

Don't forget the IDA is in the Pepsi Refresh competition. You can vote each day in this month (December, 2011) to help the IDA create observing sites that will promote astronomy and dark-sky education.

Cities from Space - Calgary, Canada

Day eight of our tour of city lights from space takes us to Calgary, Canada. This image was taken December 24, 2010 by the Expedition 26 crew of the International Space Station:

Image from NASA's The Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth

The image of Calgary is remarkably clear and reveals that the city is awash in light. Every street seems to be continuously illuminated.  So much so that the image above could easily be used as a map of the city.

View Larger Map

Cities from Space - Toronto, Canada

Day seven brings us to Toronto, Canada. This view, taken through some broken clouds shows Toronto as it was seen January 9, 2011 by the Expedition 26 crew of the International Space Station:

Image from NASA's The Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth

Toronto is home to the Fatal Light Awareness Program (FLAP). The organizers of FLAP have been working hard to raise awareness that illuminated buildings are a danger to birds. Each year in Toronto, over a million birds are killed by colliding with buildings. They are attracted by light at night and either collide with buildings or become trapped in beams of light and fly until they are exhausted. Migratory birds are especially prone to the dangers posed by city lights.

Have a look at their website to learn more.

Cities from Space - Boston, Mass

It is day six of our 31 day tour of cities from space at night. Today, brings Boston, Massachusetts as photographed December 8, 2010 by the Expedition 26 crew of the International Space Station:

Image from NASA's The Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth

As in many major urban areas the light pollution in the Boston area is quite a problem.  Thankfully the New England Light Pollution Advisory Group is on hand to try to make a difference. Be sure to check out their website to see what they are up to and how you can help to fight light pollution.

You can also watch this short video that they produced on light pollution and lighting in their area:

Cities from Space - Detroit

Here is the Motor City - Detroit, Michigan - as photographed December 9, 2010 by the Expedition 26 crew of the International Space Station:

Image from NASA's The Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth

I believe that somewhere in this photo is the suburb of Detroit known as Highland Park, Michigan.  The community recently made the news because it no longer has enough money to keep its street lights turned on.  Something like a 1,000 of them are physically being removed from the city.

Budget shortfalls are starting a return to lower levels of illumination in many communities in the U.S. and the U.K. In many places there seems to be great fear associated with this, but there are studies that link more light with more crime - not less. In the U.K. they are finding that the crime rate is indeed going down after streetlights have been removed.

If people can overcome their fear of the dark we can return to more natural levels of nighttime illumination and our nation's taxpayers will save significant amounts of money by not wastefully illuminating the night.

Cities from Space - Washington, DC

Here is a photo taken April 6, 2003 by the Expedition 6 crew of the International Space Station:

Image from NASA's The Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth

It shows the cities of Baltimore, Maryland (top) and Washington, DC (along with the communities that surround it). The most startling thing about the image to me is that you can actually see the borders of Washington, DC - that's how bad the lighting is there.

Of course the monuments of our nation's capitol are illuminated. That's not the source of illumination that defines its border.  You can see the border of Washington, DC because the town is filled with many, bright unshielded street lights.

A typical unshielded "acorn" light in our nation's capitol

Have a look at this second photo of DC from space.  This one was taken December 18, 2010 by the ISS Expedition 26 crew:

Image from NASA's The Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth

The lighting with DC is obviously different from the lighting beyond its borders. The many bright, unshielded lights of our nation's capital are an excess that we can't afford. By shining up and out, instead of down where the people forms a vivid example of government waste. 

Just to make it clear that the Monument District of DC is not to blame here, let's zoom in a bit to show it off:

Other than the dark waters of the Potomac, the Monument District is the darkest part of DC. Yes, the part of town where bright lights are pointed upward to illuminate the U.S. Capitol, the Washington Monument and more is dimmer than the lighting for the rest of town.

There is much work to be done to clean up light pollution.

Cities from Space - Chicago, IL

It is day three of our orbital nighttime tour of cities from space. Today brings us to the Windy City, Chicago.

Image from NASA's The Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth

Looking at the image you might think that Chicago should be called the City of Light (that title goes to Paris, France which will be featured later).  The light pollution in Chicago is bad enough that a photo of the Chicago skyline was featured on the cover of the November, 2008 issue of National Geographic magazine for the article "The End of Night - Why We Need Darkness".

Located about 30 miles from the center of Chicago is Homer Glen, the newest International Dark Sky Community.  Homer Glen joins an elite group of just four such places in the world - Flagstaff Arizona, Borrego Springs California and the Isle of Sark in the UK.

The skies over Homer Glen are not as dark as they are in the other three places but the community takes outdoor lighting very seriously. Seriously enough to warrant them the honor. The people of Homer Glen have worked to make a difference in outdoor lighting.  You can too.

The image was taken December 18, 2010 by the Expedition 26 crew of the International Space Station.

Cities from Space - San Diego, CA

It is day two of the Visible Suns Cities from Space Advent celebration.

Today the view is of San Diego, California USA and Tijuana, Mexico:

Image from NASA's The Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth

You can easily see the international border between San Diego and Tijuana. It is marked by an orange line of light - the light of low-pressure sodium lamps (LPS). As you look northward from the border you can see a variety of colors in the city lights. Notice that north of San Diego the lights are predominantly the orange of LPS. LPS lighting is the least damaging to astronomy and these lights are there because lighting ordinances were put into place in the 1980s to protect Palomar Observatory.

The image was taken November 30, 2010 by the Expedition 26 crew of the International Space Station.

I'll have another city from space tomorrow as this Advent celebration continues.  Another way to celebrate Advent is to head over to the Pepsi Refresh and vote for the astronomy project being put forward by the International Dark-Sky Association. Your daily vote can help to make the project to happen.