22 days of data from the Suomi NPP satellite went into making this beautiful and eerie view of the Earth at night, spinning in a black sky. The satellite can see in the visible and near-infrared at high sensitivity, able to map city lights, fires, and even moonlit weather. This animation is made from real images, mapped onto the previously existing Blue Marble images to make the view more realistic.
Blog post with more info: http://www.slate.com/blogs/bad_astronomy/2012/12/05/animation_of_the_earth_at_night_suomi_npp_pictures_of_our_spinning_globe.html
Credits:
Video: NASA Earth Observatory/NOAA NGDC
Music: Kevin MacLeod, "Epic Unease"
▶️ Watch on DTube ▶️ Watch Source (IPFS)