Soh Kam Yung's review of Earth at Night - National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Soh Kam Yung reviewed Earth at Night - National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) by National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Michele Ostovar, National Aeronautics and Space Administration: Earth at Night - National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) (2020, Independently Published)

Dazzling photographs and images from space of our planet’s nightlights have captivated public attention for …

A look at the Earth at night, from space.

3 stars

An interesting book looking at the Earth at night from space.

It first looks at natural night images of the Earth, as illuminated by natural phenomenon like forest or bush fires, volcanoes, the moon, clouds and lightning, snow and ice, the auroras and atmospheric air glow.

The second section looks at artificial night images, illuminated by urban constructions (cities blocks, factories, refineries) and urban living. Another section looks at before and after images of night views after disasters like hurricanes, wars.

All in all, the book shows a different view of world: how it looks like illuminated at night. It is quite different from normal daylight views of the world as the sources of lighting isn't only the sun, but may be several sources that may or may not follow the contours of the land that can mislead the eye.

There are explanations provided with each image that help explain what the reader is seeing and how to interpret the images, as well as pointing out certain points of interest in each image.