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.