The past several decades of space exploration have afforded us a perspective of our Earth as never before seen. Pictured above we see splashes of yellow light that seem to resemble wildfires rushing across the surface of the planet.

Now, it is just the illumination of our cities lights across Southern California, Mexico’s Baja California, and the Gulf of Cortez.

As NASA writes, “City lights illuminate this night time view of southern California, Mexico's Baja California and the Gulf of Cortez, as photographed by one the Expedition 28 crew members onboard the International Space Station flying at altitude of approximately 220 miles. A 15-mm focal length was used to capture the time lapse image. The thin line of Earth's atmosphere is visible above the horizon.”

This image was captured on August 19, 2011.

Photo courtesy of NASA