Information technology and science: NASA scientists have published night views of the planet from the space

NASA astronomers have unveiled a new look at the Earth: with the recently launched satellite they managed to show with unprecedented clarity how the planet looks like in the darkness.

Satellite Suomi NPP, equipped with a super-sensitive radiometer VIIRS, was launched last year. To make the frame of each land and all the islands the satellite had to go around the Erath 312 times. Pictures taken in cloudless weather in April and October 2012, were combined with pictures of 40 years ago – then the team Apollo 17 took famous pictures of the Erath, calling them “blue marble”, says Reuters. Current pictures of the night planet are called “black marble”. 

From satellites the Earth has been picturing for 40 years already (also with the purpose of forecasting of the weather). But Suomi NPP is the first apparatus which is designed to take pictures at night.

At first sight over the night planet it is noticeable that it shines extremely non-uniform: "In some places the shining city resembles a lonely a star in the night sky, in others – a dense cluster of galaxies», - notes NASA.

To obtain such unprecedented in their-definition pictures in the darkness, the satellite apparatus operates not correctly as a regular photo camera. The cameras Suomi NPP take pictures of a panorama of small plots and then these pixels merge into a common picture. Each fragment is considering separately – if the frame is too dark or too light it has to get to the desired quality. In addition, on the satellite simultaneously act three chambers, so that you can choose the best shot.