This picture is of Europe and Africa when the sun is setting. Half of the picture is in night. The bright dots you see are the city lights.
The top part of Africa is the Sahara Desert. This was taken by the crew on board Columbia on its last mission. This photo was taken on a cloudless day. Note how the lights are already on in Holland, Paris, and Barcelona, and how it's still daylight in London,
Lisbon, and Madrid. The sun is still shining on the Straight of
Gibraltar, and the Mediterranean Sea is already in darkness.
In the middle of the Atlantic Ocean you can see the Azores Islands; below them to the right are the Madeira Islands; a bit below are the Canary Islands; and further south, close to the farthest western point of Africa, the Cape Verde Islands.
Note how the Sahara is huge and can be seen clearly both during
daytime and night time. To the left, on top, is Greenland, totally
frozen.
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