Live Science Plus
The Earth at night
At night, the Earth is a sea of dark with patches of light from city lights. Increasing levels of light pollution from carelessly angled streetlights are dimming the view of stars for even some of the most remote telescopes.
Darkened globe
The bright lights of towns and cities are clearly visible in this photo of Earth at night
A bright country
At night, the East Coast of the U.S. is filled with lights, while the West Coast is slightly darker. But even remote telescope locations in Arizona are experiencing dimmer skies due to light pollution.
British Isles
The British Isles were lit up at night during the Summer Olympics this year.
The Nile Delta
The Nile Delta is a river of light in a sea of darkness in this photo of Africa at night.
South Asian sky
The night skies are bright during this year's Diwali, India's festival of lights.
East Coast Blackout
As superstorm Sandy ravages the East coast, blackouts in Manhattan and other East Coast cities are clearly visible from space.
Get the world’s most fascinating discoveries delivered straight to your inbox.
Blazing fires
Night lights aren't the only things visible from space. Wildfires blazing across Siberia can be seen from above in this August 31, 2012 image.
Light divide
While night lights usually indicate dense populations, the divide between an illuminated South Korea and a dark South Korea reveals how much economic development can affect the view from space.
South America's East Coast
South America's East Coast is alight in this photo taken on July 20, 2012.
Tia is the editor-in-chief (premium) and was formerly managing editor and senior writer for Live Science. Her work has appeared in Scientific American, Wired.com, Science News and other outlets. She holds a master's degree in bioengineering from the University of Washington, a graduate certificate in science writing from UC Santa Cruz and a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Texas at Austin. Tia was part of a team at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that published the Empty Cradles series on preterm births, which won multiple awards, including the 2012 Casey Medal for Meritorious Journalism.