Check out London from SPACE
This amazing astronaut photograph (ISS006-E-22939) shows a unique view of the metropolis of London, Britain’s capital city. Revealed by the image is the sprawling city’s electrical lighting, which offers insight into the urban density and infrastructure.
It is fair to assume that the most brightly lit areas have the largest population, and one can see that the density lessens as the light intensity dwindles outward from the core towards the London Orbital. This is the circular motorway that encircles the city.
Scattered in the darker area around are bright spots which are indicative of towns and smaller cities, as far as Hastings on the coast.
The two major International airports of Heathrow and Gatwick are indicated, visible as more intensely lit-up areas. Images such as this one are useful for observation and updating information on the urban regions of the world, through the correct interpretation.
Of course, weather and precipitation patterns can also be viewed. For instance the heat from the city has burned off or not allowed the development of low cloud or fog which is visible as smudges over some of the smaller, cooler populated places on the outskirts.
The image was captured on digital camera by the crew of the International Space Station on the evening of 4 February 2003, at 19h22 local London time. It was released by the Earth Sciences and Image Analysis Laboratory at the Johnson Space Centre.
View similar images of other areas at the NASA-JSC Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth.