Solitary Dog Sculptor I

The city of Al Jubayl (or Jubail) is located on the coast of Saudi Arabia, along the Persian Gulf. The city has a history extending back more than 7,000 years, but since 1975 it has been associated with the petrochemical, fertilizer, and steel industries. At night, these industrial areas form a brightly lit region (image center) to the south of the residential and commercial center of Al Jubayl (characterized by green-gray lighting). An artificial peninsula extending into the Persian Gulf to the northeast hosts supertanker docks and petroleum storage facilities.
The Persian Gulf to the north and northeast is devoid of lights; likewise, the open desert to the south-southeast provides a stark contrast to the well-lit urban and industrial areas. A bright circle of light located within the heavy industrial area (image center) cannot be resolved in this astronaut photograph, but is likely a concentration of lights associated with ongoing processing or construction activities. The approximate scale of the feature—100s of meters in diameter—is consistent with multiple stationary light sources, particularly if the light from those sources is accentuated due to the camera’s low light settings.

Instrument: 

ISS - Digital Camera