What does NASA’s Star Trails image show above Earth?

NASA’s page describes a long-duration image where star trails appear above Earth. The same image description also points out lights on Earth below.
What the image shows
The NASA Star Trails image shows star trails visible over Earth in a long-duration view.
Below that, NASA identifies two kinds of lights:
- Blue lights from fishing boats
- Yellow lights from Indonesian cities
So the practical takeaway is simple: the image combines motion in the sky, seen as star trails, with human-made lights visible below on Earth.
What NASA confirms
NASA’s description confirms the main visual elements, but it does not add extra details in the provided context such as when the image was taken, what camera was used, or exactly which cities are visible.
For those specifics, the best place to check is the official NASA page.
How can readers tell the blue fishing boat lights from the yellow Indonesian city lights in the image?

NASA’s description gives readers a direct way to separate the lights in the image: look at the color.
The difference NASA identifies
The blue lights are from fishing boats.
The yellow lights are from Indonesian cities.
That is the confirmed distinction in NASA’s description. Blue points to boats below; yellow points to city lights in Indonesia.
Quick comparison
| Light color | NASA identifies it as |
|---|---|
| Blue | Fishing boats |
| Yellow | Indonesian cities |
What not to assume
The provided NASA context does not name the individual boats, list the specific cities, or explain why the lights appear in those colors. It only confirms the visual labels: blue for fishing boats and yellow for Indonesian cities.
For the full image and NASA’s own wording, use the official source.
Sources / Learn more
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