November 27, 2000
Somewhere between the hydrogen and the starlight, between the gravity and the grace, the universe conspired to bring you into being.
Earth at Night
Birthday · November 27, 2000
A little universe, just for you
Your date.
Ready to give.
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APOD published November 27, 2000. Full image credits are on the original APOD entry below. A publication-date match, not a photo taken on your date. Independent of NASA.
This is what the Earth looks like at night. Can you find your favorite country or city? Surprisingly, city lights make this task quite possible. Human-made lights highlight particularly developed or populated areas of the Earth's surface, including the seaboards of Europe, the eastern United States, and Japan. Many large cities are located near rivers or oceans so that they can exchange goods cheaply by boat. Particularly dark areas include the central parts of South America, Africa, Asia, and Australia. The above image is actually a composite of hundreds of pictures made by the orbiting DMSP satellites. (Editor's note: Contrary to some recent press reports, this site does not have a rotating screensaver version of the above image. Also, unfortunately, we do not sell prints. However, a high-resolution digital version of the image is available (click here or here) and an Earth at Night poster similar to this image can be ordered (click here) from other web sites.