Earth from Space - Image Description

Eastern Mediterranean coastline at night

This night image recently shot by astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) vividly shows the location and size of cities at the east end of the Mediterranean Sea. The largest, brightest cluster is the Israeli city of Tel Aviv (lower center left), a port set against the blackness of the Mediterranean Sea. Jerusalem, Israel's capital city (upper center left), and Amman, Jordan's capital (top left), are the next largest (with Amman's lights a whiter tone), followed by Beersheba. Highway lights mark narrow lines that snake between these cities.

The mainly dark areas with small towns are agricultural and pastoral areas of Israel, Sinai, Gaza, the West Bank and Jordan. The long valley of the Jordan River and the Dead Sea is suggested by the wide almost black zone between Jerusalem and Amman that trends left to right across the entire image.

This service is provided by the International Space Station program and the JSC Earth Science & Remote Sensing Unit, ARES Division, Exploration Integration Science Directorate.