Lights out, camera, action?

Dutch astronaut Andre Kuipers will have the perfect spot to watch Earth Hour unfold around the world Saturday evening from his seat on the International Space Station, about 240 miles above the planet.

Kuipers, who has been named an Earth Hour ambassador by the World Wildlife Fund, plans to take photos and videos of the planet as the lights go out and share them online, according to the European Space Agency.

Look for Kuipers’ real-time coverage from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m. Saturday on his logbook blog and via tweets from @Astro_Andre. (One caveat: Don’t expect to see much if it’s foggy or overcast.)


Earth Hour is an annual event in which millions of people around the world collectively shut off their lights for an hour to raise awareness about climate change and energy use. The World Wildlife Fund promotes the event that began in 2007 in Australia.

This year expect lights to go out or dim at Times Square, the Las Vegas Strip, Buckingham Palace in London and the Great Wall in China. To track photos of Earth Hour or to add your own, go to the EarthHour 2012 Flickr page.