North Koreans really in the dark: Astonishing NASA picture shows backward communist state as a black patch on the planet

North Korea appears like a black hole in a sea of light in this remarkable NASA satellite image taken of the isolated communist state.

Taken at night on January 30 from the International Space Station (ISS) this picture shows North Korea almost completely devoid of lights.

In stark contrast to the south of the image South Korea is shown bathed in light as is China to the north both clearly visible bustling with energy.

North Korea - which is ruled by supreme leader Kim Jong-un - is almost completely black appearing to show a distinct lack of power or energy supply.

The only exception is the country's capital Pyongyang to the south east of the nation which is illuminated by city lights.

However the rest of the country - which has a population of 24 million - is pitch black looking almost like a sea between South Korea and China.

The NASA Earth Observatory website commented on the photograph: 'North Korea is almost completely dark compared to neighboring South Korea and China.

'The darkened land appears as if it were a patch of water joining the Yellow Sea to the Sea of Japan.

'Its capital city, Pyongyang, appears like a small island, despite a population of 3.26 million (as of 2008). The light emission from Pyongyang is equivalent to the smaller towns in South Korea.

'Coastlines are often very apparent in night imagery, as shown by South Korea's eastern shoreline. But the coast of North Korea is difficult to detect.

'These differences are illustrated in per capita power consumption in the two countries, with South Korea at 10,162 kilowatt hours and North Korea at 739 kilowatt hours.'

The image was released today as it emerged Kim Jong-un was rumored to be expecting his second child after his wife appeared in public in a maternity dress.

Speculation mounted after onlookers noticed Ri Sol-ju wearing what appeared to be the same loose-fitting outfit she wore before the birth of their daughter in late 2012.

Kim Jong-Un, 31, who is believed to also have a daughter with another woman, will be desperately hoping for a male heir to continue the family's dictatorship.