Holiday calendar: Riyadh at night

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NASA / JSCThe city lights of Riyadh shine in a picture taken Nov. 13 from the International Space Station.By Alan Boyle

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Saudi Arabia's capital city glitters in this picture-perfect night view captured from Earth orbit last month from the International Space Station. The spread of Riyadh's city lights hints at a bustling population, which has grown from 150,000 in 1960 to 5.4 million this year. Click on over to NASA's Earth Observatory to identify landmarks such as the Riyadh Air Base, universities and the financial district.

This view from above is tonight's offering for the Cosmic Log Space Advent Calendar, which serves up a fresh picture of Earth as seen from space every day from now until Christmas. For still more outer-space goodies, check out The Atlantic's Hubble Space Telescope Advent Calendar or the Zooniverse Advent Calendar — and stay tuned for another cosmic nighttime vista on Wednesday.[/t][/t]

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