Wow! Check out this photo from space of Europe celebrating The New Year last night:

[Are_grits_groceries]

@Fascinatingpics

Cool!

[Cirque du So-What]

1. Sweden surprises me

I wouldn't have expected to see so much lighting in the north of the country. Learn something every day, yunno.

[dipsydoodle]

6. Zero daylight this time of the year there

so maybe the light are on all the time.

[Cirque du So-What]

7. Probably so

Still, it was surprising to me that enough people lived in that region of the country to justify that much illumination. Notice that on the west side of the border, in Norway, are vast areas without illumination, which to me indicates low-density population.

[Thor_MN]

11. Norway is quite narrow at high latitudes

Those dark areas may be in Sweden...

[Cirque du So-What]

13. You're right

although on Google Earth I found little in the way of population centers where all those lights appear
Perhaps it's mining and/or foresting operations?

[Diclotican]

14. Cirque du So-What

Cirque du So-What

For the most part - the area in Norway who border to Sweden, is for the most part just desolate mountain ranges - and some roads - and nothing more - It is at the coast Norwegian lives for the most part - or at the central areas at the South end of Norway - It goes all the back to 1814, when we managed to make a de-militarized area between Sweden and Norway - where no forts and military installations was to be build - in the two centuries after that - the border between Sweden and Norway was kind of like a "dead mans land" where most would not travel - but then again - it was also a rather poor place to begin with - with less possibility to farm, as the earth was rather bad to farming - and for the most part, it was timber who gave people some job..

But - as an oversight in history - the military demilitarize zone - between Sweden and Norway - was in fact still demilitarized as late as 1993 - Sweden and Norway had in fact no Peace treaty after the war of 1814. even though we had been peacefully nabours since 1814.... In 1993, a deal was struck between Sweden and Norway - and we finally accepted the border between Sweden and Norway - even as the border had been the same, more or less since 1660...

Dicloican

[Cirque du So-What]

15. Thanks for the information

The poor land was partially responsible for some of my Nordic ancestors' emigration to the New World in the mid-1600s.

[Diclotican]

17. Cirque du So-What

Cirque du So-What

Indeed - many emigrated to the americans, from Norway from the mid 1600s and forward - to a better life in the british colonies - later it was USA...

Diclotican

[Cirque du So-What]

19. My ancestors

were from Sweden. The patriarch was actually born in Finland and emigrated to Sweden in his youth. Later he emigrated to a colony called New Sweden, which includes parts of present-day Pennsylvania, New Jersey & Delaware. Along the way, he changed his name from the Finnish Marttinen to the more Swedish-sounding Mårtenson. His descendants, for some reason, changed the name again to the Anglicized Morton.

[Diclotican]

21. Cirque du So-What

Cirque du So-What

I see - well many who was born in Finland - had to emigrate to Sweden - for many reasons - one of them was maybe that Sweden sounded like a better place to live - in the 1600-1700s Finland was know for one thing - being raped and pillaged by the russians - and the population to be used as cannon fodder for the Swedish Army and Navy - many of the soldiers who ended up abroad for decades was finish in origin - and was used to make Sweden was it was - a nordic Superpower .

New Sweden was an ambitious attempt for the swedish crown - to build up a colony in the new parts - of course it was never that much of a colony, like the big players had - but at least they had a colony - and had ambitions to send many more to the colony - to make sure the Swedish Crown would earn back what ever they had used to build the colonies....

Many changed their last name - from a finish sounded name - to a more swedish one - mostly because it sounded better with the authorities - and maybe because he wanted to change his past - and his future in the prosess.... Many emigrants who traveled to the Colonies - that be swedish or Norwegians - changed name to a more Anglicized name after a while - mostly because it was more easy to fit in in the new world that way... It is a few last names - that is rather difficult for english speaking people to twist their tongue around - like my first name - who I have yet to get americans to state properly - usually I use my middle name - as it is more easy for them to understand.... My first name - have a twist - as it is written with an O - but sounds like an Å, something that often confuse english speaking people greatly...

Diclotican

[Cirque du So-What]

26. Old Mårten Mårtensson (so-called in church records for living to be 100)

my grandfather-many-times-over, contributed an important descendant to American history:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Morton_%28politician%29

who is my great-uncle-many-times-over.

[mimi85]

56. My father's side was partially Norwegian

and came over back when...to settle in North Dakota. SO glad my great grandmother had the presence of mine to eventually move to California in the 1950s. I'll never forget when very young, a distant cousin came to visit. He had never seen an ocean and I still remember the look on his face - pure wonder.
Watching the Rose Bowl today thinking that with all the things that are wrong with California, the weather isn't one of them.

Great picture!

[GreenEyedLefty]

63. This is interesting

My great-grandparents came here from Finland... they came from Kemi, which is in Lapland near the border between Finland and Sweden. My great-grandmother's maiden name was Wickstrom, which is Swedish. I've always wondered how that came to be.

[titaniumsalute]

44. This picture is kind of bullshit

It was raining in lots of areas in Europe last night...how would you get all of this light with so much cloud cover??

[Cirque du So-What]

46. Yes

It's probably some sort of composite photo.

[titaniumsalute]

49. Yes and by the way

NYE doesn't make any difference. I'd bet that about the same amount of energy is used no mater what day of the year. So OK maybe it is a little later on NYE (due to a late night event) but nonetheless it probably isn't a big difference.

[Curmudgeoness]

51. I was thinking along those same lines.

My first thought was "what would a normal night look like from space?" Without a comparison, I have no way to know whether I should be impressed.

[jellen]

58. My thoughts too. n/t

[Laelth]

2. Awesome picture. Thanks for posting. k&r n/t

-Laelth

[CaliforniaPeggy]

3. What a beautiful picture!

[Brickbat]

4. It was totally clear over all of Europe last night?

This is a compilation (and an old one, at that) of photos of Europe at night.

[dipsydoodle]

5. A friend posted that on FB today.

There's something odd about it because that area covers 3 maybe 4 different times zones. .

[2naSalit]

8. WOW is right!

WOW!

[Kablooie]

9. Why is Ireland red?

Isn't it supposed to be green?

[surrealAmerican]

22. I was wondering that myself.

Do they use a different type of street lighting or something?

... also was it really clear skies everywhere in Europe last night? That's pretty cool.

[hunter]

34. I'm guessing it's the type of streetlighting.

red - low pressure sodium, lowest electric cost, occasionally installed to reduce interference with optical astronomy installations

orange - high pressure sodium.

blue - mercury vapor lighting

yellow, in less "modern" places - mix of incandescent, sodium, and mercury vapor

yelow, "modern" places - mix of high pressure sodium, metal halide, and recently, LED.

I've lived through every generation of lighting. When I was a kid the streetlights were incandescent. Later they were mercury vapor. Then our family moved to a place with low pressure sodium lighting. When we returned to the U.S. the streetlights had been replaced with high pressure sodium. Then big box store parking lots started installing "white" metal halide lighting. Our city is gradually upgrading to LED lighting but the annoying streetlight in front of our house is still the orange high pressure sodium.

[George II]

36. Bloodshot?

[lpbk2713]

41. Yeah, they must have started early.

[blackspade]

10. That image really underscores the amount of light pollution...

See all the lights between Norway and Britain? Oil rigs.
I would have wanted to be in northern Scotland like I was the week my wife I married 18 years ago.
The sky was what was bright.

Cool photo though.

[NBachers]

30. I calle my son in Glasgow last night at 12:30 their time

There was so much noise and interference there, we couldn't really communicate. I'm glad to hear that he was out and enjoying himself. Sounded like a lot of people were out and celebrating.

[blackspade]

37. Glasgow is a great city but I prefer the Highlands.

My wife and I went to a great local New Years Eve party in Balquhidder.
Great booze and better conversation.

[RedCappedBandit]

45. Was wondering what those lights were. nt

[Thor_MN]

12. Lots of oil platforms in the North Sea.

Look between the UK and Norway.

[malaise]

16. Gorgeous

Happy New Year Grits

[HipChick]

18. This is likely photoshopped...

With all the different time zones the different countries in Europe uses...they would not all be celebrating at the same time though

[Lucky Luciano]

20. Not a cloud in the sky either...highly unlikely to

happen in Europe all at one time!

[HipChick]

23. Yep...especially this time of year..

[treestar]

29. The lights would still be on all evening wouldn't they?

5 p.m. and it's dark.

[iamthebandfanman]

61. +1

http://www.sciencephoto.com/media/160004/view
there are tons of 'at night from space' photos on the internet...
all of which I find very enjoyable

[mountain grammy]

24. Photoshopped or not, it always amazes me that map makers got it so right.

Fantastic! Everything seems so close.

[calimary]

35. It's really astounding, isn't it! What a photo!

I love it! Gorgeous! Happy New Year!!!

[JaneyVee]

25. Those fuckers know how to party!

[ffr]

27. Part of me sees pretty colors. The other sees a human desert.

That "what is progress" question haunts me.

[treestar]

28. Those Belgians

really like to party!

Cool pic!

[Android3.14]

31. Fake and fake and fake

I freaking despise breathless-I'm-creaming-in-my-faux-sentimental-panties. It's this crap that demonstrates why we the people will never-ever-ever be in charge of our own lives.
It's right up there with, "I'm crying as I type this..."

[nytemare]

32. The sad thing is, the real explanation of that picture is pretty cool.

http://www.strudel.org.uk/blog/astro/001019.shtml

http://www.sciencephoto.com/media/160004/view

[TroglodyteScholar]

38. That *is* pretty cool...

Thanks for the links

[anneboleyn]

43. Is very cool. Dumb, but is that Moscow? I could check the map.

Big bright spot in upper right...

[Beartracks]

33. ALERT: This is not from last night's New Year celebrations.

"Europe at night, 1993-2003 changes"

http://www.sciencephoto.com/media/160004/view


===========

[MFM008]

39. killjoy lol

[Beartracks]

59. lol

[Liberal_in_LA]

42. cool.

[quadrature]

47. cars being torched...nt

[bvar22]

48. Beautiful photo, but these night photos from space...

...always scare me a little.
This kind of consumption is directly killing us all.
How many powerplants could we mothball by simply turning off every 3rd light?

How much more time could we buy for the Human Race by turning off every other light?

It is supposed to get dark when the Sun goes down..
.
.
.
.
.
/soapbox
Party On!

[heaven05]

50. Interesting photo

of human habitation and celebratory hope. The gunfire I had to listen to is always an anger maker in me. It borders on ignorance with me. What goes up must come down. The tag line cats always make me laugh.

[Jamaal510]

52. No Russia? nt

[Kaleva]

53. They partied like it's 999 in North Korea

[NYC_SKP]

54. Oh I'm So Sorry to report that this is NOT a shot of Celebrations from Space. It's Just NOT.

It's a great shot from space.

It might even have been taken on New Years Eve.

And that would be about it.



Happy New Year!

[Historic NY]

55. Wow thats KQQL. I'd love to have pictures of the whole planet

that could be fitted together. I would make them into a mural.

[Kaleva]

57. Ireland is one big red light district

The meaning of the color of the lights:

"Caption: Europe at night, showing the change in illumination from 1993-2003. This data is based on satellite observations. Lights are colour-coded. Red lights appeared during that period. Orange and yellow areas are regions of high and low intensity lighting respectively that increased in brightness over the ten years. Grey areas are unchanged. Pale blue and dark blue areas are of low and high intensity lighting that decreased in brightness. Very dark blue areas were present in 1993 and had disappeared by 2003. Much of western and central Europe has brightened considerably. Some North Sea gas fields closed in the period."

http://www.sciencephoto.com/media/160004/view

[proReality]

60. That photo is great

But the one I never get tired of is your cat doing the bean bag face plant. It cracks me up every time I see it.

[WCGreen]

62. It looks like porno to me....

[oldandhappy]

64. This whole area is not in the same time zone.

Nice night shot tho.