Darkened Cities

French photographer Thierry Cohen set out to see the effect light and air pollution have on people living in urban areas. He traveled the world photographing cityscapes by day. At each location, Cohen recorded the time, angle, latitude and longitude of the shot. The results are eerily beautiful. 

Paris 48° 50′ 55″ N 2012-08-13 Lst 22:15. © Thierry Cohen.

San Francisco 37° 48′ 30″ N 2010-10-9 Lst 20:58. © Thierry Cohen.

Then, he journeyed to remote deserts and plains at corresponding latitudes, where he pointed his lens to the night sky. For New York, that meant the Black Rock Desert in Nevada. For Hong Kong, the Western Sahara in Africa. For Rio and São Paulo, the Atacama Desert in Chile, and for Cohen’s native Paris, the prairies of northern Montana. Through his own digital photography wizardry, Cohen created seamless composites of his city and skyscapes.

See more at Smithsonian
Thanks Bruce!