NASA Can See Holiday Lights From Space

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The holiday lights on your roof are so bright they’re visible from space.

NASA said Tuesday that data from a polar-orbiting satellite, in partnership with National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association, shows how cities’ nighttime lights change during the holiday season. From Black Friday until New Year’s, city lights are about 20 to 50% brighter than other times of the year.

“It’s a near ubiquitous signal. Despite being ethnically and religiously diverse, we found that the U.S. experiences a holiday increase that is present across most urban communities,” said Miguel Román, a research physical scientists at NASA Goddard who co-led the research. “These lighting patterns are tracking a national shared tradition.”

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Belfast, Northern Ireland
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Colorado River
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Cuanza River, Angola
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Dunalley, Australia
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Australia, April 22, 2013 – Great Barrier ReefDigitalGlobe—Getty Images
Gwadar coast, Pakistan
Gwadar coast, Pakistan Sept. 29, 2013 – new island created by earthquake in PakistanDigitalGlobe—Getty Images
Croatia
Croatia, Feb. 16, 2013 – Galešnjak (Island of Love)DigitalGlobe—Getty Images
Hong Kong, China
Hong Kong, China May 9, 2013 – giant rubber duckDigitalGlobe—Getty Images
Manam Volcano
Madang Province, Papua New Guinea, March 22, 2013 – Manam VolcanoDigitalGlobe—Getty Images
Namib Desert, Namibia
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Mount Vesuvius
Naples, Italy, Feb. 19 2013 – Mount VesuviusDigitalGlobe—Getty Images
Niger
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Schooner Cays, Bahamas
Schooner Cays, Bahamas, May 26, 2013DigitalGlobe—Getty Images
Sochi, Russia
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Valencia, Spain
Valencia, Spain, July 19, 2013 – Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia and Gulliver Park with an enormous fiberglass model of Lemuel Gulliver trappedDigitalGlobe—Getty Images
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Versailles, France, Aug. 20, 2013 – Palace of VersaillesDigitalGlobe—Getty Images
Xi'an, China
Xi'an, China, Sept. 24, 2013 – Shiyuan Park DigitalGlobe—Getty Images

Researchers also took a look at holiday lights during the holy month of Ramadan in the Middle East, where nighttime lights shine up to 50% brighter. Scientists discovered some cities were lit more heavily throughout the region, which they attributed to political or cultural differences.

“Even within majority Muslim populations, there are a lot of variations,” said Eleanor Stokes, a graduate fellow at NASA. “What we’ve seen is that these lighting patterns track cultural variation within the Middle East.”

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