So is Christmas and Ramadan from space – BBC

Rebecca Morelle BBC

• December 18, 2014

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This is the first time scientists have observed the night lights from space to a scale city ​​and neighborhood.

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

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

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

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

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

Miguel Román, Puerto Rican researcher Space Flight Center, NASA said: “For the first time we were able to examine changes in illumination level Country, city or even neighborhood. “

US cities begin to be more enlightened on Thanksgiving.

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

From Thanksgiving to New Year

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

To conduct the study, the research team was based on data collected between 2012 and autumn of this year.

For the first time we were able to examine changes in lighting at the country, city, even neighborhood “

Miguel Roman, NASA

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

See also:. What are the five most efficient countries energy level?

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.

The amount of light from urban centers tends to increase between 20 and 30% and between 30 and 50% in the periphery.

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

It also focused attention on the 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.

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

Eleanor Stokes, Yale University

Some cities, like 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

Read:. A new eye in space

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

“This is because vulnerable power lines” justified Stokes.

In the Middle East increased lighting concentrated in urban centers.

But something similar in certain parts of Syria happens.

“In the capital, Damascus, lighting decreased by 50%, but is a consequence of the conflict” , qualified 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 study’s findings should feed into 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.

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