NASA experts piece together hundreds of photos in short video clip

Feb 13, 2012 12:38 GMT  ·  By

One of the latest time-lapse videos of Earth released by the American space agency showcases parts of the North American continent, including the United States and Canada, and provides a brief glimpse of stupendous auroras taking place at higher latitudes.

The video is shot during the nighttime, so all major cities along the route taken by the International Space Station (ISS) are fully illuminated. As a side note, I find it interesting how videos such as this one highlight the intricate urban networks that sprawl the world's most developed areas.

All images used to create this time-lapse video were captures from an altitude of about 240 miles (385 kilometers). They were stitched together by experts with the Crew Earth Observations Center, at the NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.

Keep an eye on this space for more updates on NASA time-lapse videos of Earth.