Salt Lake City, Utah At Night As Seen From Orbit

A nighttime view of Salt Lake City, Utah is featured in this image photographed by an Expedition 38 crew member on the International Space Station.
The Salt Lake City metropolitan area is located along the western front of the Wasatch Range in northern Utah. Viewed at night from the vantage point of the space station, the regular north-south and east-west layout of street grids typical of western U.S. cities is clearly visible.

The Salt Lake City metropolitan area today is included in the larger urban Wasatch Front region of Utah which includes over two million people (approximately 80 percent of the population of the state). Both the color of the city lights and their density provide clues to the character of the urban fabric — yellow gold lights generally indicate major roadways such as Interstate Highway 15 that passes through the center of the metropolitan area (center, left to right), while bright white clusters of lights are associated with city centers, commercial, and industrial areas. In contrast, residential and suburban areas are recognizable due to diffuse and relatively dim lighting (center left).

The Wasatch Range to the east is largely dark, as are several large urban parks and golf courses located within the illuminated urban areas.

ISS038-E-016506 (12 Dec. 2013) – Larger image