City Lights of Madrid

ISS030-E-060478 (30 Jan. 2012) --- The city lights of Madrid (just right of center) stand out in this photograph from the International Space Station. Recorded by one of the Expedition 30 crew members, the view shows almost the entire Iberian Peninsula (both Spain and Portugal) with the Strait of Gibraltar and Morocco appearing at lower left. What is thought to be a blur of the moon appears in upper left corner. The faint gold or brownish line of airglow—caused by ultraviolet radiation exciting the gas molecules in the upper atmosphere—parallels the horizon or Earth limb.