NASA / JSC The city lights of Riyadh shine in a picture taken
Nov. 13 from the International Space Station. Saudi Arabia's
capital city glitters in this picture-perfect night view
captured from Earth orbit last month from the International
Space Station. The spread of Riyadh's city lights hints at a
bustling population, which has grown from 150,000 in 1960 to 5.4
million this year. Click on over to NASA's Earth Observatory to
identify landmarks such as the Riyadh Air Base, universities and
the financial district. This view from above is tonight's
offering for the Cosmic Log Space Advent Calendar, which serves
up a fresh picture of Earth as seen from space every day from
now until Christmas. For still more outer-space goodies, check
out The Atlantic's Hubble Space Telescope Advent Calendar or the
Zooniverse Advent Calendar — and stay tuned for another cosmic
nighttime vista on Wednesday. More views of Earth from space: -
2012 Cosmic Log Space Advent Calendar - Day 1: A fantastic
Chinese fan - Day 2: Satellite