Can you ID these cities at night from space? Take the quiz!


Cities at night: A city filled with lights seen from space, with a river running through it.
View larger. | Here’s a practice image to start! Astronauts aboard the International Space Station took this photograph of a glowing city on April 8, 2015. Can you identify which of the world’s cities this is? … If you guessed the City of Lights – Paris – you’re right! The Seine flows through the city, dividing it into the left and right banks. The brightest road is the Champs-Élysées, leading to the Arc de Triomphe, where other roads extend from it like spokes. Now try our quiz below to see how many cities at night from space you can name. Image via NASA.

Can you identify these cities at night from space?

We put together a fun little quiz of images of cities from space. Astronauts aboard the International Space Station captured all these images. We’ve separated them into easy, medium and difficult categories. Only true geography buffs will get all 10. Good luck, and if you get stuck, scroll down for the answers.

The 2025 EarthSky Lunar Calendar is now available! A unique and beautiful poster-sized calendar. Get yours today!

Cities at night: Easy level

A strip of lights with some lights fanned out into the black darkness of water.
1) View larger. | Here’s a city famous for its futuristic developments and construction. The biggest hint is at the top left of this photo. Can you name this city? Image via NASA.
A city from above with a squiggly river from west to east and the lights spread way out.
2) View larger. | Can you guess this city? Note the many dark spots, which indicate parks. Also, the meandering river has many bright bridges that cross it. Image via NASA.
A city with many streets and especially bright center and blackness on the edges.
3) View larger. | Many cities have sprawling suburbs. But this city looks a bit like an island oasis in the dark. Note its particularly bright city core. This area has been called the brightest spot on Earth. Can you name this city? Image via NASA.

Cities at night: Medium level

A city glowing golden at night from space with a dark slice near the bottom.
4) View larger. | Can you identify this city? Here are a couple of hints. Besides the city, there’s an entire other country within this view! And one might say that all roads lead into the city. Image via NASA.
A city at night with a fan shape, narrower at the bottom and wider at the top.
5) View larger. | Do you recognize this city from space? Note the city has a shape a bit like a fan. More lights are spread out at the top, and the city is narrower at bottom, where it hugs the river. Image via NASA.
Lights of a city along a curving body of water.
6) View larger. | The lights of this city hug the water and curve around the bay. You can also see lights from fishing boats. What city is it? Image via NASA.

Cities at night: Difficult level

A bright city bordering some darkness at right but sprawling far to the left.
7) View larger. | This city has seen stupendous growth over the past decades. The large dark area at upper right is a river that empties into a sea that the city borders. Can you name the city? Image via NASA.
A bright central area marking the city with a dark river on the east side making a large bend.
8) View larger. | The bulk of this city is on an island between 2 rivers. Can you name the city? Image via NASA.
A city with a river that is darker on one side and has a radial spread on the other.
9) View larger. | This city is fairly challenging. A famous river runs through the center, and the topography means fewer buildings on one side with growth spreading radially on the other. Can you name this city? Image via NASA.

I can see my house from here!

A green auroral glow near top with many dots of lights scattered across the landscape.
10) View larger. | Here’s a fun one! How many cities can you name in this image? There are hundreds of possibilities. You may even see your own city here. And note the green glow of the aurora. Image via NASA.

Answers for easy level

1) This city is Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. The most notable feature is the humanmade set of islands called Palm Jumeirah. They’re shaped like a palm tree and contain resorts and housing.

2) The second city is London, and the Thames River flows through its center. Hyde Park is the dark space near left center. The brightest bridge is Tower Bridge.

3) This oasis is Las Vegas in Nevada. The Las Vegas Strip is the bright area near center, which is reported to be the brightest spot on Earth.

Answers for medium level

4) “All roads lead to” … Rome! The other country in this view is Vatican City, which is to the upper left of Rome’s center.

5) This city is Cairo in Egypt. The top part of the city fans out, following the delta of the river Nile. And the southern portion of the city is narrower, staying close to the river’s banks.

6) This bright, bustling city is Bangkok, Thailand. Thailand has a big fishing industry, and the boats use lights to attract certain kinds of marine life.

Answers for difficult level

7) This is one of the most populous cities on Earth: Shanghai, China. Shanghai has a population around 30 million. The wide Yangtze river empties into the Yellow Sea just east of this image.

8) This is Montreal, the largest city in Canada’s province of Quebec. Montreal is surrounded by the St. Lawrence and Prairies Rivers.

9) This is Budapest. The Danube River runs through the city. The part of the city that spreads out was the old city of Pest, while the other side of the river, which is steep with fewer buildings, was the old city of Buda.

Answers for the bonus round

There are hundreds of cities in this view! The city at lower right is Omaha. East of it is Des Moines, with Minneapolis/St. Paul to the north of that. Toward the lower right is St. Louis. You can trace out the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan thanks to the Milwaukee/Chicago corridor. The white light in the direction of the northeastern U.S. is lightning.

Share the quiz!

How did you enjoy the quiz? Ready to stump your friends? Share this post or send this video to them. Challenge them to get at least six right!

Bottom line: Take this fun quiz to see how many cities at night you can identify from images astronauts took aboard the International Space Station.

Read more: See Mars as ISS astronauts would see it

The post Can you ID these cities at night from space? Take the quiz! first appeared on EarthSky.



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Cities at night: A city filled with lights seen from space, with a river running through it.
View larger. | Here’s a practice image to start! Astronauts aboard the International Space Station took this photograph of a glowing city on April 8, 2015. Can you identify which of the world’s cities this is? … If you guessed the City of Lights – Paris – you’re right! The Seine flows through the city, dividing it into the left and right banks. The brightest road is the Champs-Élysées, leading to the Arc de Triomphe, where other roads extend from it like spokes. Now try our quiz below to see how many cities at night from space you can name. Image via NASA.

Can you identify these cities at night from space?

We put together a fun little quiz of images of cities from space. Astronauts aboard the International Space Station captured all these images. We’ve separated them into easy, medium and difficult categories. Only true geography buffs will get all 10. Good luck, and if you get stuck, scroll down for the answers.

The 2025 EarthSky Lunar Calendar is now available! A unique and beautiful poster-sized calendar. Get yours today!

Cities at night: Easy level

A strip of lights with some lights fanned out into the black darkness of water.
1) View larger. | Here’s a city famous for its futuristic developments and construction. The biggest hint is at the top left of this photo. Can you name this city? Image via NASA.
A city from above with a squiggly river from west to east and the lights spread way out.
2) View larger. | Can you guess this city? Note the many dark spots, which indicate parks. Also, the meandering river has many bright bridges that cross it. Image via NASA.
A city with many streets and especially bright center and blackness on the edges.
3) View larger. | Many cities have sprawling suburbs. But this city looks a bit like an island oasis in the dark. Note its particularly bright city core. This area has been called the brightest spot on Earth. Can you name this city? Image via NASA.

Cities at night: Medium level

A city glowing golden at night from space with a dark slice near the bottom.
4) View larger. | Can you identify this city? Here are a couple of hints. Besides the city, there’s an entire other country within this view! And one might say that all roads lead into the city. Image via NASA.
A city at night with a fan shape, narrower at the bottom and wider at the top.
5) View larger. | Do you recognize this city from space? Note the city has a shape a bit like a fan. More lights are spread out at the top, and the city is narrower at bottom, where it hugs the river. Image via NASA.
Lights of a city along a curving body of water.
6) View larger. | The lights of this city hug the water and curve around the bay. You can also see lights from fishing boats. What city is it? Image via NASA.

Cities at night: Difficult level

A bright city bordering some darkness at right but sprawling far to the left.
7) View larger. | This city has seen stupendous growth over the past decades. The large dark area at upper right is a river that empties into a sea that the city borders. Can you name the city? Image via NASA.
A bright central area marking the city with a dark river on the east side making a large bend.
8) View larger. | The bulk of this city is on an island between 2 rivers. Can you name the city? Image via NASA.
A city with a river that is darker on one side and has a radial spread on the other.
9) View larger. | This city is fairly challenging. A famous river runs through the center, and the topography means fewer buildings on one side with growth spreading radially on the other. Can you name this city? Image via NASA.

I can see my house from here!

A green auroral glow near top with many dots of lights scattered across the landscape.
10) View larger. | Here’s a fun one! How many cities can you name in this image? There are hundreds of possibilities. You may even see your own city here. And note the green glow of the aurora. Image via NASA.

Answers for easy level

1) This city is Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. The most notable feature is the humanmade set of islands called Palm Jumeirah. They’re shaped like a palm tree and contain resorts and housing.

2) The second city is London, and the Thames River flows through its center. Hyde Park is the dark space near left center. The brightest bridge is Tower Bridge.

3) This oasis is Las Vegas in Nevada. The Las Vegas Strip is the bright area near center, which is reported to be the brightest spot on Earth.

Answers for medium level

4) “All roads lead to” … Rome! The other country in this view is Vatican City, which is to the upper left of Rome’s center.

5) This city is Cairo in Egypt. The top part of the city fans out, following the delta of the river Nile. And the southern portion of the city is narrower, staying close to the river’s banks.

6) This bright, bustling city is Bangkok, Thailand. Thailand has a big fishing industry, and the boats use lights to attract certain kinds of marine life.

Answers for difficult level

7) This is one of the most populous cities on Earth: Shanghai, China. Shanghai has a population around 30 million. The wide Yangtze river empties into the Yellow Sea just east of this image.

8) This is Montreal, the largest city in Canada’s province of Quebec. Montreal is surrounded by the St. Lawrence and Prairies Rivers.

9) This is Budapest. The Danube River runs through the city. The part of the city that spreads out was the old city of Pest, while the other side of the river, which is steep with fewer buildings, was the old city of Buda.

Answers for the bonus round

There are hundreds of cities in this view! The city at lower right is Omaha. East of it is Des Moines, with Minneapolis/St. Paul to the north of that. Toward the lower right is St. Louis. You can trace out the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan thanks to the Milwaukee/Chicago corridor. The white light in the direction of the northeastern U.S. is lightning.

Share the quiz!

How did you enjoy the quiz? Ready to stump your friends? Share this post or send this video to them. Challenge them to get at least six right!

Bottom line: Take this fun quiz to see how many cities at night you can identify from images astronauts took aboard the International Space Station.

Read more: See Mars as ISS astronauts would see it

The post Can you ID these cities at night from space? Take the quiz! first appeared on EarthSky.



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