UK and Europe at night. Map showing urban and industrial lights over Europe at night. It was created by combining data from NASA's Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard the Terra satellite. Most lights originate from artificial lighting in cities and towns. Smaller groups of lights visible in the North Sea (upper middle) originate from oil rig gas flares. This image illustrates modern Human Impact on the Physical Environment | Geography on the planet.