Berlin at night

This picture was taken by ESA astronaut André Kuipers from the International Space Station (ISS) and was first shown at the ISS Symposium 2012 in Berlin.

The former division between East and West Berlin can be seen. The yellow lights correspond to East Berlin and the greener tones show West Berlin. Over 20 years since the Berlin Wall was dismantled the effects of separating the city can still be seen from space.

The picture was taken using a new camera aid called NightPod. Nightpod tracks the Earth automatically as it moves below the Space Station resulting in images that are sharper and have more detail.