BERLIN (AP) — The United States government shutdown could have the unintended effect of making Germans go to bed earlier.

Fans hoping for fresh episodes of a cult late-night German TV show featuring footage of Earth seen from space accompanied by ambient music have been told its relaunch will be delayed by at least two weeks because of the U.S. budget battle.

Public television station Bayerisches Fernsehen said Monday that new high-definition video it hopes to use for its "Space Night" program won't be able available Nov. 1 as planned because archivists at NASA, a key source of footage, are among U.S. federal employees currently furloughed.

"Space Night" was launched in 1994 and is a favorite among rave goers and insomniacs.

___

On the Web: www.spacenight.de