While we have the benefit of looking up at the night sky from Earth, astronauts on the International Space Station get to view our planet from 260 miles up.
The crews of the ISS have managed to snap jaw-dropping pictures of our sprawling cities at night. Photos from the last few months alone have included vistas of Tokyo, Delhi and the manmade islands of Abu Dhabi.
This month NASA Astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli captured an incredible image of the sun's first rays illuminating Earth's atmosphere, while the bright lights of Chicago shone below.
In January 2022, an amazing picture of Ireland and the United Kingdom at night was snapped.
Here we present a gallery of some of the impressive cities at night the space crews have captured.
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The city lights (bottom centre to far left) of Moscow and Saint Petersburg in Russia, to Helsinki, Finland, are framed by an aurora. Picture taken from the International space station (ISS), November 17 2023. (Image: ISS/NASA/SWNS)
NASA astronaut and Expedition 69 Flight Engineer Jasmin Moghbeli aboard the International Space Station. Picture taken September 6 2023. (Image: NASA/SWNS)
São Paulo, the most populous city in Brazil, can be differentiated by its bright street lights versus the darker street lights in the smaller city of Guarulhos (at right). Picture taken from the International space station (ISS), July 4 2022. (Image: ISS/NASA/SWNS)
Baghdad, Tehran, UAE, Oman at night. Picture taken from the International space station (ISS), July 18 2023. (Image: ISS/NASA/SWNS)
The vibrant city lights of Tokyo at night. Picture taken from the International space station (ISS), taken November 1 2023. (Image: ISS/NASA/SWNS)
This mosaic depicts the International Space Station pictured from the SpaceX Crew Dragon Endeavour during a fly around of the orbiting lab that took place following its undocking from the Harmony module’s space-facing port on November 8 2021. (Image: NASA/SWNS)
The city lights of Cairo and New Cairo City in Egypt at night. Picture taken from the International space station (ISS),January 26 2022. (Image: ISS/NASA/SWNS)
The night lights of Istanbul, Turkey, split by the Bosphorus Strait and the Golden Horn, are pictured from the International Space Station as it orbited 263 miles above the Black Sea. Picture taken from the International space station (ISS), May 10 2021. (Image: ISS/NASA/SWNS)
Los Angeles at night. Picture taken from the International space station (ISS), July 7 2023. (Image: ISS/NASA/SWNS)
The Canadarm2 robotic arm, with its fine-tuned robotic hand Dextre attached, is pictured as the International Space Station orbited 260 miles above the city lights of the Arabian Peninsula. Picture taken October 26 2023. (Image: ISS/NASA/SWNS)
The city lights of Mecca, Islam's holiest city in the desert valley of western Saudi Arabia. Picture taken from the International space station (ISS), July 26 2023. (Image: ISS/NASA/SWNS)
Astronaut Luca Parmitano, Expedition 37 flight engineer, uses a still camera to photograph the topography of a point on Earth from a window in the Cupola of the International Space Station. Picture talen October 10 2023. (Image: NASA/SWNS)
This nighttime view from the International Space Station shows the city lights of the northeastern United States and major urban areas including Long Island, New York; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and Washington D.C..Picture taken from the International space station (ISS), October 26 2023. (Image: ISS/NASA/SWNS)
The sun's first rays begin illuminating Earth's atmosphere in this photograph from the International Space Station as it orbited 260 miles above the central United States. At far left, the city lights of Chicago, Illinois, are outlined by Lake Michigan. At far right, the city lights of the Dallas/Forth Worth metropolitan area shine through the clouds. Picture taken November 10 2023. (Image: ISS/NASA/SWNS)
The city lights of Yanbu, a Saudi Arabian port city on the Red Sea coast. Picture taken from the International space station (ISS), January 26 2022. (Image: ISS/NASA/SWNS)
Astronaut Chris Hadfield,Expedition 34 Flight Engineer (FE),using still camera,in the Cupola Module. Photo was taken during Expedition 34 on January 1 2013. (Image: NASA/SWNS)
New Delhi, India at night. Picture taken from the International space station (ISS), September 2 2023. (Image: ISS/NASA/SWNS)
The city lights of the oasis city of Al Ain in the United Arab Emirates. Picture taken from the International space station (ISS), July 18 2023. (Image: ISS/NASA/SWNS)
The city lights of Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates at night. Picture taken from the International space station (ISS), February 26 2022. (Image: ISS/NASA/SWNS)
Palm Jumeirah, the palm tree-shaped artificial island, is a highlight in the United Arab Emirates' city of Abu Dhabi at night. Picture taken from the International space station (ISS), August 26 2023. (Image: ISS/NASA/SWNS)