Careful observers of the recent “Black Marble” imagery released by NASA and the National

Careful observers of the recent “Black Marble” imagery released by NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration  (see here: http://tmblr.co/Zyv2Js1aCPEaW) noticed that in parts of Western Australia, which are largely uninhabited, there are numerous “lit up” areas.Why is this?Much of the uncharacteristic light observed by the NASA-NOAA Suomi NPP satellite in this image is a result of bushfires. Scientists have confirmed, by utilising other satellite data, that when the Suomi NPP satellite was passing over this region there were numerous bushfires in the area.If you think the extent of the bushfire’s a bit excessive, that is because the image is a composite of data collected over nine days in April 2012 and 13 days in October 2012. This means that the fires could have been detected on any one day and were integrated into the picture, even if they were brief phenomena. As different areas burned at different times when the satellite passed over, the cumulative result in the composite view gives the appearance of a massive blaze. In reality, these fires are temporary features, in contrast to cities which are always there.Aside from bushfires, other features can also appear as points of light, including: fishing boats, gas flaring, oil drilling and mining operations.-JeanFor more information and photos, see: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/wa-bushfires-light-nasas-black-marble-photo-of-our-planet/story-e6frg6n6-1226533311906 -- source link

More pics about