The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has just published new global maps of the Earth, exhibiting how our Mother Planet looks at night. The new global map is the first set to reveal earth’s look during night time since 2012. The stunning satellite images of Earth is dubbed as ‘night lights’, and have been published in every decade. Since 25 years, images, published under “night lights” have been a major public curiosity as well as a valuable research tool that has been helping scientists exploring earth’s view from space. The latest set of images, released by NASA is giving a stunning and startling look at the planet.
The striking satellite pictures of NASA are illustrating the high-definition, clearest, and closest view of earth, ever had. The pictures are giving a clear description of the patterns of human society across the planet, showing how human settlement has shaped Earth on which we are living and how we have lighted it up. NASA, while publishing the images said, a team of scientists, led by Earth scientist Miguel Román is inching closer to capture and deliver daily, high-definition sights of Earth at night. The mission will be accomplished through the data, collected from NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Centre. For now, NASA has published only a few images of the set, while later this year, the agency is expected to release the full suite of data for public access.
But for now, the US-based space agency has released fantastic global composite maps of night lights which were observed last year. One of the images of the set is giving the clearest and full view of Hemisphere on Earth, while one NASA Observatory Image is showing the stunning lightened image of India. In two pictures, one is showing the view of India in 2012, while in the picture, clicked in 2016 is revealing the changes and increments in human settlement clearly.
Now, scientists at NASA are trying to find out if the night lights imagery can be upgraded more frequently – perhaps daily so that they can keep an eye on the changes, going on in earth regularly, in fact, more precisely. Doing so will radically alter the manners how the weather is being forecasted, and will enhance the responsive approach towards natural disaster and will even help to track the effects of war.