Changes in light patterns during Christmas in the United States and the Muslim holy month of Ramadan in the Middle East are visible from space.
Satellite observations show that light intensity increases by as much as 50 percent in some US regions between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day.
In an analysis of light output from 70 cities during 2012 and 2013, researchers found that light intensity increased 30 to 50 percent during the Christmas season in most suburbs and major city outskirts. Central urban areas were 20 to 30 percent brighter.
Washington, DC, and Baltimore, Maryland: Dark green pixels are areas where lights are at least 50 percent brighter in December. View more images on Flickr. Jesse Allen, NASA's Earth Observatory
