The researchers at the Extragalactic Astrophysics and Astronomical Instrumentation Group at the Universidad Coplutense de Madrid need your help to georeference the position of cities that appear in ISS images.

According to Jose Gomez Castano, the “Lost at Night” project is part of a study of light pollution and the energy consumption derived from it.

“We use images taken from the International Space Station as part of our investigations, provided by Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit, NASA-Johnson Space Center,” says Castano. “To compare the images with the different light sources on the earth, we need to know the city’s location. Due to the large number of images, we need your help. Some of these pictures are from unknown locations for us, and it is very difficult to identify them in the pictures. However, a lot of people around the world will know the cities. We need you to identify the cities and connect them with their position point on the map.”

When you participate, the ISS image will be loaded in the left panel, and a map will appear at the right. You will be able to zoom in and out, drag, and rotate the image if that helps you identify what you’re seeing. If you think you know the city, click on the map to identify its position. You can then save and move on. If the picture stumps you, you can simply click on “Don’t Know.”

You can also get more information by reviewing the ISS picture data provided, or call on your friends by sharing the image on Twitter.