Just a quick one while I work on a bigger post. The following image was posted by the wonderful Distinctly Black Country local history site on their Facebook page and twitter account yesterday, and shows Brownhills and Walsall at night, as photographed from space by  Canadian astronaut Chris Hatfield on the recent mission aboard the International Space Station.

Brownhills is top right – note the familiar triangle, and curve of the Chester Road heading southeast.Bright lower centre is Walsall, and left is Wolverhampton. Note the arterial brightness of the motorways – the M6, M6 Toll and Ray Hall interchange. How small we are. Image from Distinctly Black Country and Chris Hatfield, image dated 8th April 2013.

This crop came from a larger image of the black country and Birmingham area. I initially misunderstood it; it’s not north-up.

To see your little lights alive… Birmingham centre right. the dark spot to the left is Sandwell Valley Country Park. Woverhampton is just lower than centre left. Brownhills upper centre left. Top of map image is approximately northeast. Image from Distinctly Black Country and Chris Hatfield. Image dated 8th April 2013. Click for a larger version.

Distinctly Black Country had this to say:

Great to see the Black Country & Birmingham from space (Chris Hadfield, who took the snap on 8 April, described it as ‘overwhelming’). But it’s also a nice illustration of how the Black Country differs from its (bolder, brasher?) neighbour. Birmingham city centre (on the right) is lit up like a beacon but its surrounding suburbs fade. Meanwhile the close-knit, multi-centred constellation of the Black Country bristles with smaller commercial hubs.

I think you’ll agree, this is a remarkable thing indeed. I thank Distinctly Black Country for posting it, and helping me orientate the image – I was having a rather dull moment.