Once they start to be released in greater frequency, the space agency says they could give the scientific community the ability to fine-tune weather forecasts, improve natural disaster response, track sea ice, stop illegal fishing, and measure the impacts of war. More than just excellent desktop photos, these stunning maps expose how humans have shaped the planet by highlighting our patterns of settlement. The team wrote code that picked the clearest night views each month, ultimately combining moonlight-free and moonlight-corrected data. This year’s images eliminate light from the moon, which varies the amount of light shining on the Earth. has been analyzing night lights data, and developing new software and algorithms to make the imagery clearer, more accurate and readily available. Now, NASA says it’s on the verge of delivering daily high-definition views of the Earth at night on a daily basis.Ī research team led by Earth scientist Miguel Román of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. So-called “night lights” images have been released every decade or so for nearly 25 years.

The clouds and the sun’s glint are added for aesthetic effect. Three composite images released on Wednesday provide full-hemisphere views of civilization in the dark from the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) on the NASA-NOAA Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (NPP) satellite. New images from NASA have revealed the clearest view yet of the Earth at night, according to the U.S.

Night satellite view of earth