Daybreak over Antarctica

. . . at the close of this awe-inspiring video overflight of Planet Earth from the space station. Note the light from human civilizations like signal fires burning across the surface of the earth. This is your home. Take a deep breath, turn your room lights off, and switch to full-screen mode:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ny2IU2gIq70

By James Drake, from Infinity Imagined:

A time-lapse taken from the front of the International Space Station as it orbits our planet at night. This movie begins over the Pacific Ocean and continues over North and South America before entering daylight near Antarctica. Visible cities, countries and landmarks include (in order) Vancouver Island, Victoria, Vancouver, Seattle, Portland, San Fransisco, Los Angeles. Phoenix. Multiple cities in Texas, New Mexico and Mexico. Mexico City, the Gulf of Mexico, the Yucatan Peninsula, Lightning in the Pacific Ocean, Guatemala, Panama, Columbia, Ecuador, Peru, Chile, and the Amazon. Also visible is the Earths ionosphere (thin yellow line) and the stars of our galaxy.