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"NASA Black Marble\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nBlack Marble - United States \nThe satellite that took these images flies over any given point on Earth's surface twice each day at roughly 1:30 a.m. and p.m. Hovering 512 miles above the surface, the satellite sends its data once per orbit to a ground station in Norway.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nBlack Marble - Africa, Europe and Middle East\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nBlack Marble - Australia and Asia\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nCity Lights of the United States \n\u201CNighttime light is the most interesting data that I\u2019ve had a chance to work with,\u201D says Chris Elvidge, who leads the Earth Observation Group at NOAA\u2019s National Geophysical Data Center. \u201CI\u2019m always amazed at what city light images show us about human activity.\u201D\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nCity Lights of the World\n\nThis composite image is made up of data that was acquired over nine days in April 2012 and thirteen days in October 2012. \nIt took 312 orbits and 2.5 terabytes of data to get a clear shot of every parcel of Earth\u2019s land surface and islands.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAntarctic Aurora at Night\nWe now have definitive proof that the aurora lights are just as beautiful from space. The Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite captured this nighttime view of the aurora australis over Antartica\u2019s Queen Maud Land and the Princess Ragnhild Coast on Oct. 15.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nArctic Ice During Polar Darkness\nThis photo was taken on Oct. 31 while scientists were monitoring Arctic ice during polar darkness in its summer. NASA highlights this photo in particular because the Arctic sea ice set a new record low.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThe Nile River's Illuminated Path\nCity lights as seen from space are of particular interest to scientists because they tell the story of urban development. This is evident along the path of Nile River, which is outlined in light as more people flock to its resource-rich coast. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nRemember that stunning \"Black Marble\" image of the Earth in darkness NASA released last week? Thanks to a collaboration between NASA and Google Maps, it has gone from a still image to an interactive experience. \nThe new map is a composite assembled from data from the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership satellite, acquired over nine days in April and 13 days in October.\nThe satellite captured the nighttime views with a special on-board technology called the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS). According to Google, it took 312 orbits to get a clear shot of Earth's entire surface. \nThe new map doesn't seem to be an official feature of Google Maps, but it's available here. \nBONUS: Black Marble in HD Video\n    \n\nImage credit: NASA"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://mashable.com/2012/12/11/black-marble-interactive/>