Photo: Milan, Italy As Seen From Orbit at Night

Milan, Italy metropolitan area is featured in this night time view photographed by an Expedition 26 crew member on the International Space Station. The metropolitan area of Milan (or Milano) illuminates the Italian region of Lombardy, in a pattern evocative of a patchwork quilt, in this photograph. The city of Milan proper forms a dense cluster of lights at center left; brilliant white lights indicate the historic center of the city where the Duomo di Milano (Milan Cathedral) is located. Large dark regions to the south of Milan contain mostly agricultural fields.

To the north, numerous smaller cities are interspersed with agricultural fields giving way to forested areas as one approaches the Italian Alps (not shown). Low patchy clouds diffuse the city lights, producing isolated regions in the image that appear blurred. The Milan urban area is located within the Po Valley, a large plain bordered by the Adriatic Sea to the south and the Italian Alps to the north. Milan has the largest metropolitan area in Italy, and the fifth largest in the European Union. ISS026-E-028829 (22 Feb. 2011) — high res (1.9 M) low res (130 K)