New York City, the largest city in the United States, is home to more than 7.3 million people. This night photograph of the New York City area shows a distinct pattern of development concentrated in and around the city. The brightest part of this photograph is the heart of the city, made up of the five boroughs. Manhattan Island, one of the five, is identifiable as the bright fingerlike protrusion pointing to the southwest, with Central Park visible as the dark rectangular patch at the center of the protrusion. Long Island can be distinguished by a pattern of less dense lights extending eastward (to the right).
North of Long Island is Long Island Sound and the southern coast of Connecticut, whose cities appear as bright spots. Both Long Island Sound and the Atlantic Ocean (south of Long Island) are dark. Various cities in New Jersey appear as bright spots west (left) of the city. Despite the fact that the suburbs of New York are among the most densely populated areas of the United States, this photograph shows clearly that they are considerably less crowded than the city itself. The claim that New York City is “the city that never sleeps” seems to be supported by this photograph.
April–May 1994, image STS-59-50-3.