NASA satellite imagery reveals the Arctic at night

The Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership satellite shows off the Arctic at night in spectacular detail.

In winter, the Arctic is considered to be a dark and dreary place save for when the northern lights shimmer and cascade across the polar skies.

 Yet even on a night when the aurora borealis is not putting on its performance, many parts of the Arctic are still brightly illuminated. Thanks to the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership satellite, jointly operated by NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and put successfully into orbit on Oct. 28, 2011, we can now see this in spectacular detail.

Read and see: Alaska Dispatch News.