So is Christmas and Ramadan from space – Terra Peru

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Photo: BBC / Copyright

BBC

For the first turn the Christmas lights US and Ramadan in the Middle East have been seen from space.

Scientists from NASA, in collaboration with other centers, they used the satellite Suomi NPP to analyze how increases energy use at this time.

And found that most American cities shine between 20 and 50% more on Christmas Eve and New Year.

In addition, They realized that in the Middle East the behavior is similar.

Some cities in this region have a rise of 100% in lighting during the month of Ramadan.

Miguel Roman, researcher Puerto Rican Space Flight Center NASA said. “For the first time we were able to examine changes in lighting at the country, city, including neighborhood”

Román presented the findings Wednesday during Fall Meeting of the American Geophysical Union in San Francisco, USA.

From Thanksgiving to New Year

The satellite Suomi NPP, a joint project of NASA and the National Atmospheric and Oceanic Administration, US also uses infrared cameras to detect the night lights of the Earth.

To perform the study, the research team used data collected between 2012 and autumn of this year.

When they analyzed the details found in US Cities begin to be more illuminated from Thanksgiving Day, the fourth Thursday of November, and is well maintained until January 1

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And also viewed that although the amount of light in urban centers tends to increase between 20 and 30% compared with the rest of the year, on the outskirts and in the suburbs of the cities use of light increases between 30 and 50%.

“The lighting increases mainly residential reasons,” says Roman.

According to the researcher, people stop working because take vacations, so the light turns from home for longer.

But scientists not only fixed on what happens at Christmas in America.

also focused their attention to lighting changes taking place in the Middle East during Ramadan, the ninth month of the Muslim calendar, during which Muslims practice daily fast from dawn until sunset.

Increase of 100% Middle East

“Muslims fast from dawn to dusk and this slows their activity on the day,” said Eleanor Stokes, of Yale University in the United States.

And he explains. “People eat later, it will work later, the markets remain open later”

Unlike the US, the Middle East increased lighting concentrated in urban centers.

Some cities such as Riyadh and Jeddah, the capital and largest city of the west coast of Saudi Arabia respectively, experienced an increase in brightness between 60 and 100% . during Ramadan, compared to other times of the year

However, in some countries saw a slight decline in the use of electricity

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In some cities in Iraq, for example, the nightlight declined during the Muslim holy month.

“This is because vulnerable power lines” justified Stokes.

But something similar in certain parts of Syria happens.

“In the capital, Damascus, lighting decreased by 50%, but is a consequence of the conflict,” noted the researcher.

However, during the feast of Aid El Fitr, which marks the end of Ramadan, the lights in the entire Middle East peaked.

Scientists believe that the findings of study should feed policy debates on how urban centers can be more energy efficient.

The researchers say that the track changes in brightness of cities helps to understand how cultural events can boost energy use .

And Román added that this should feed into policy debates on how urban centers can be more energy efficient