Sunset From Space

Sunset From Space
Originally uploaded by Noangel1.

This photograph was taken by the crew on board the Columbia during its last mission, on a cloudless day.

The picture shows Europe and Africa at sunset.

Half of the picture is in night. The bright dots you see are the city lights or so I am told.

The top part of Africa is the Sahara Desert. It seems that lights are already on in Holland, Paris, and
Barcelona, and that it's still daylight in Dublin, London, Lisbon, and
Madrid. The sun is still shining on the Strait of Gibraltar.

The Mediterranean Sea is already in darkness.

In the middle of the Atlantic Ocean you can see the Azores Islands; below them to the right are the Madeira Islands; a bit below are the Canary Islands; and further South, close to the farthest
western point of Africa, are the Cape Verde islands.

The Sahara is huge and can be seen clearly during both daytime and at night

To the left, on top, is Greenland, totally frozen.

An interesting perspective.