May 16, 1999
Light takes eight minutes to travel from the Sun to the Earth. It took the universe 13.8 billion years to make you.
Europe at Night
Birthday · May 16, 1999
A little universe, just for you
Your date.
Ready to give.
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APOD published May 16, 1999. Credit: DMSP Digital Archive, NGDC, NOAA. A publication-date match, not a photo taken on your date. Independent of NASA.
This is what Europe looks like at night! Can you find your favorite European city? Although not all of Europe is shown, city lights might make this task possible. The above picture is actually a composite of over 200 images made by satellites orbiting the Earth. Scans were made by the USAF Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) Operational Linescan System. The DMSP satellites continue to help in the understanding and prediction of weather phenomena as well as provide key information about population patterns, city light levels, and even rural forest fires.
Image credit: DMSP Digital Archive, NGDC, NOAA