NASA has released a global map of the Earth at night for the first time since 2012, using the powerful Suomi NPP satellite and complex computer algorithms to give us our best look yet at our planet in darkness.
2012年，美国国家航空航天局第一次发布了夜间的全球地图，通过强大的芬兰国家极地轨道卫星和复杂的计算机算法为我们提供了黑暗中的地球的最佳面貌。

The newly improved, high-resolution graphics can help scientists plot population patterns, energy demand, the expansion of cities, and even shipping lanes.
新改良的高分辨率制图法可以帮助科学家规划人口格局、能源需求、城市拓展，甚至是船运航线。

What's more, NASA scientists plan to release daily snapshots of the world at night later this year, and that means researchers would be able to use the data to aid disaster recovery operations and monitor energy use on a day-to-day basis.
而且，美国航空航天局的科学家计划在今年晚些时候公布每天夜间的全球快照，这意味着研究人员将能利用这些数据来援助灾难恢复工作并检测每天的能源使用情况。

At the heart of the Suomi NPP satellite is the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite or VIIRS, which can capture night-time shots at an unprecedented resolution, and is able to detect photons of light in 22 different wavelengths.
芬兰国家极地轨道卫星的核心就是可见的红外成像辐射仪（VIIRS），该设备能用史无前例的分辨率拍摄夜间快照，并且可以探测22种不同波长的光子。

On the Europe image, you can see the snow-capped mountains of Norway.
在欧洲地图上，你可以看到覆盖着皑皑白雪的挪威山脉。

With more tweaking, VIIRS will soon be able to identify individual boats and street lamps.
做一些调整，这台红外成像辐射仪就能很快地识别个人船只和路灯。

You can see the US urban sprawl, though mining operations still shine bright in rural areas.
虽然农村地区的采矿工作依然十分明显，但你还是可以看到美国的城市扩展区。

Here, urban settlements follow the Nile in Egypt.
这张图中，城市住宅是沿着埃及尼罗河进行安置的。

And the best part is, scientists can get their hands on the data within minutes, thanks to the partnership between NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) on this project.
最好的一点就是，因为美国国家航空航天局与国家海洋大气管理局在这个项目上达成合作协议，科学家们在几分钟之内就可以获取这些数据。

NASA has even released whole hemisphere photos too, like this one of Asia and Australia. Oh, Earth, you're looking good.
美国航空航天局甚至还公布了整个半球的照片，像亚洲和澳洲的这张照片。哎呀，地球，你看上去真不错。

Once the daily updates are ready to go, NASA hopes they can be used for tracking sea ice, monitoring unregulated fishing, assessing the impact of war on power grids, reducing light pollution, and more.
一旦准备好进行每日更新，美国航空航天局希望这些数据可以用来追踪海上浮冰，监督无管制捕捞，评估战争对电力输送网的影响，减少光污染，并发挥更多其他作用。

With such a high-resolution image available, the data will even be useful for urban planning and local government use – in times of a power outage, perhaps.
因为可以获得这么高分辨率的图像，这些数据甚至还可以用来进行城市规划；也许在停电的时候，还可以为当地政府所用。

（翻译：Dlacus）

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