posted 04-01-2011 02:06 AM               

Celebrating -- and understanding -- our Earth from space.

The Lights of Mankind is the story of how we've populated this planet as told through inspiring, panoramic photographs of Earth at night. It showcases unexpected and breathtaking photos made possible by the latest light-sensitive cameras and the newly installed Cupola on the International Space Station -- pictures that have already awed hundreds of thousands Space Station fans.

The images, of course, beg explanation. Why did Man settle here and not there? How is this glittering planet powered? The narrative explores the expected and unexpected, telling a story of agriculture, geography, wars, disease, food supply, water supply, politics, politics and power supply. The uncertain sprawl of southern California. The Nile River as it snakes towards the Mediterranean. The grid-like pattern of lights that write the history of the American Midwest. This is the "unintended artwork of human habitation," as author Keeney writes, artwork we now see first-hand.

Includes first-person perspectives on Earth at night contributed by the astronauts themselves -- Don Pettit, Douglas Wheelock, Mario Runco, Jr., Clayton "Clay" Anderson, and Sandra Magnus.

• Hardcover: 208 pages
  
• Publisher: Lyons Press; First edition (December 6, 2011)
  
• ISBN-10: 0762777559
  
• ISBN-13: 978-0762777556

posted 03-06-2012 08:50 AM               

Recently released by Lyons Press, this stunning illustrated book documents the entire globe, featuring over 100 world-class cities and 70-plus regional panoramic images that show in striking detail the interplay of geography, man, and science. Covering every major city — from Paris to Milan, New York City to San Francisco, Rio de Janeiro to Rome — this is a photographic reference of the Earth at night, as seen from space.

Five astronauts — Clay Anderson, Sandra Mangus, Don Pettit, Mario Runco Jr., and Doug Wheelock — eloquently share their own perspectives on Earth at night, infusing this beautiful and informative book with eyewitness testimony. As Wheelock describes, "Earth presents itself as this raging explosion of light in a black, empty sea."