Theme: Earth at Night

 

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Text, Viewspace. The show will continue in 15 seconds. Coming up: Explore Earth at night with NASA satellites. 

 

The timer at top right counts down from 15 seconds. 

 

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[COSMIC MUSIC] 

 

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The text appears on a background of stars which move slowly towards and past us. 

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A lightning bolt in the desert. Text, We can usually see better in the daylight.

 

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[CONTEMPLATIVE MUSIC]

 

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But not always.

 

Lightning is one phenomenon best observed at night.

 

Astronauts aboard the space station have a unique view of lightning strikes.

 

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[EXCITING MUSIC]

 

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Astronauts of captured images of the rarely witnessed lightning phenomena called "red sprites."

 

On the Earth's horizon, a red shape over a purplish-white shape on the ground.

 

The jellyfish-like red sprites are cold electric discharges, similar to the emissions of a fluorescent light tube, that seem to occur during large thunderstorms.

 

The sprites tendrils reach as far as 60 miles (100 kilometers) above Earth's surface.

 

Earth from a space station. Text, Red sprites are difficult to observe, because they last just milliseconds and appear above thunderstorm clouds, which usually block our view from the ground.

 

Earth orbit provides a good perch from which to study these elusive phenomena.

 

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Satellite image of Planet Earth with small orange lights on land.

 

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Text, Astronauts on the International Space Station took this image of southern Scandinavia in 2015.

 

Lights from the countries' largest cities highlight the coastlines.

 

The image shows a bright light to the north with a halo of green above.

 

Text, A green aurora glows in the north, while a full Moon illuminates clouds and snow below.

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Lights shine on the Earth. Text, Earth at Night 

 

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Planet Earth on a dark background. Text, The glowing blue marble of Earth is a stunning sight. 

 

Sections of the Earth from space. Text, Satellites and observatories far above the surface trace the progress of storms and natural disasters, the changes among the land and ocean, and other global changes influenced by humanity. 

 

But sometimes we see better in the dark. 

 

The Earth during daylight, then at night, dotted with lights. 

 

One of the most obvious indicators of human activity is our lights. 

 

The glowing lines across the planet provide evidence of our presence. 

 

City lights provide a simple way to map urban versus rural areas, and to show where Earth's human population gathers. 

 

This image of the United Arab Emirates was taken from the International Space Station. 

 

It shows bright city centers on the coast, where they were nurtured by sea trade. 

 

A circle around a peninsula. Text, In contrast, the almost unpopulated Musandam Peninsula has very little light. 

 

Most lights cut off abruptly at the water's edge, but a glittering handful of oil and gas platforms glow offshore. 

 

City lights can paint a picture of both development and disaster. 

 

Before Hurricane Sandy. New York City, Philadelphia, New Jersey. Text, In 2012, when Hurricane Sandy struck the East Coast, NASA recorded images before and after landfall. 

 

Photos Before and After, Hurricane Sandy. Text in the After photo, In this image, New York City and eastern New Jersey are dimmed, and power outages can be seen in Philadelphia. 

 

Some highways have gone dark. 

 

More than 8 million people lost power in the storm. 

 

East Asia at night. China, North Korea, South Korea. Text, City lights can indicate where people live – and sometimes the conditions that they live in. 

 

This image from the International Space Station shows the darkened country of North Korea - the poorest in East Asia - sandwiched between the blazing cities in South Korea and China. 

 

A glimmer of light surrounds North Korea's capital, Pyongyang, while the rest of the country is mostly dark. 

 

The United States at night. Text, Lights can also tell us how people are changing the planet. 

 

A white box around North Dakota. 

 

Text, This 2012 satellite image reveals a massive field of light in North Dakota. 

 

But it's not a city. 

 

It's a mixture of electrical lights and some burning gas flares from thousands of shale oil fracking rigs and related structures. 

 

Fracking equipment. Text, North Dakota has become the United States' second biggest oil-producing state due to fracking. 

 

Just as human activity continues after nightfall, our planet's natural processes also continue. 

 

Auroras dance in the dark. 

 

Wildfires smolder, spread, and die. 

 

Clouds change in night time temperatures and conditions. 

 

The longer we gaze at Earth's surface at night, the more we learn about ourselves and our planet. 

 

The dark just gives us a different way to see.

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Text, As fires raged in the northwestern United States in August 2015, daytime satellite observations revealed smoke rising from the flames.

 

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Nighttime observations revealed the specific sites of the fires, which glowed almost as brightly as the surrounding city lights. A map of northern Oregon, Washington, and northern Idaho shows lit areas around cities and where the fire burned.

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Stars shine behind Earth. Text, at-a-Glance, US Cities and Roads at Night

 

Two bridges at night. Text, The United States has 4.1 million miles (6.6 million kilometers) of roads, more than any other nation in the world.

 

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White dots on a black map of the United States. Text, This satellite image shows US cities and towns blazing with electric light.

 

Another US map next to the satellite map. Text, If you look at this map of US highways, railroads, and rivers, you'll see similarities.

 

In the 20th century, the development of cities and suburbs often conformed to the path of interstate highways.

 

Lines and white dots on a US map. Text, Our lights trace the routes charted by our roads.

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[JAZZY MUSIC] 

 

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Text, Myth vs. Reality 

 

Myth. Abundant nighttime lighting has no negative effects on human health and nature. 

 

Reality. Bright city lights can disrupt the natural rhythms and processes of animals, insects, plants, and even people. Too much light at night can cause animal deaths and lead to illnesses in humans.

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A satellite image of land which glows bright with orange lights.

 

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[GENTLE MUSIC]

 

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Text, Astronauts on the International Space Station took this image of Italy in 2014.

 

In the south, an exact circle on land remains dark and is labeled Mt. Etna.

 

Text, The dark patch on Sicily is Mt. Etna, an active volcano whose slopes are unpopulated.

 

A halo wraps around Earth's horizon and glows a light green color.

 

Atoms and molecules excited by sunlight release their energy at night, creating the green glowing band above the horizon.

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[UPBEAT JAZZ MUSIC]

 

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A blue hexagon appears in the middle of a gray background split into two halves by a line, A banner is outlined in light blue for the title, Myth vs Reality, An illustration with sea serpents surrounding a ship is above Myth, A satellite view of the city lights is above reality, A dark, rotating planet floats in the background at the bottom, The Myth side is highlighted, Text, Nothing can be done to stop light pollution from interfering with our view of the night sky.

 

The reality side is highlighted, Text, The glare of city lights often blocks our view of the night sky, but that doesn't have to be the case. Using inexpensive shields that direct light downward and turning off unnecessary illumination can help restore our ability to see the stars.

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Text, The Earth is strung with a dazzling web of light in this 2012 satellite image.

 

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It took 22 days to create this clear picture of Earth's nighttime illumination.

 

The image reveals cities, fishing boats, wildfires, gas flares, and more.