You have all seen pictures of the earth in some form or fashion — either by a globe, atlas, or even through Google Map. But these beautiful pictures show what the earth looks like at night. These pictures were taken through the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program Operational Linescan System, which was originally designed to view clouds by moonlight.
The brightest areas of the Earth are the most urbanized, but are not necessarily the most populated.
Notice the thinly populated Antarctica which is completely dark.
For more pictures, click here. Or, visit this website for the “night version” of Google Maps!