Iberian Peninsula under the Moonlight

The Iberian Peninsula at night, showing different degrees of light pollution in Spain and Portugal. This image was taken by ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti during her Minerva mission on the International Space Station in September 2022.

Colour pictures taken from the International Space Station are the best source for scientists to map artificial light at night.

Over the last two decades astronauts are witnessing from space how cities shine whiter at night as new street lighting technologies were introduced.