Satellites monitoring light pollution across the Earth have found that people are turning on more lights around the holiday season.
The holidays are in full swing, and even the satellites monitoring light usage across the Earth can spot the high number of festive displays.
In the United States, the output of light around major cities is anywhere from 20 to 50 percent higher between Black Friday and New Year’s Day, compared to the rest of the year.
Miguel Román further notes: "Despite being ethnically and religiously diverse, we found that the US experiences a holiday increase that is present across most urban communities. These lighting patterns are tracking a national shared tradition."
Even in the Middle East, where the majority of the population is Muslim, the satellites detected significantly more light from several major cities during the month-long holiday of Ramadan.
