The World Atlas of the Artificial Night Sky Brightness

[Hubris Boy]

Originally posted by dynamo

I thought it interesting that the 260 million people in the US produce this massive glare of light (at least on the eastern side of the US) while 2 billion people in India and China hardly make a mark.

I dunno... they both look pretty well-illuminated in Tony's photo. A big chunk of China's dark, but that's because a big chunk of China isn't good for much... mountains or desert. Only about 10-15% of the land will actually produce food, and most of the billion or so Chinese live there.

I could sit and look at these photos for hours! There's always some strange new detail jumping out at you. Has anyone noticed how clearly the line of the Trans-Siberian railroad shows up? Or how the lights of the oil fields near Prudhoe Bay, Alaska stand out?