Blackout Viewed from Space
Satellites and space travelers have long looked back at the lights of Earth.
Continents are defined on clear nights as major cities and suburban areas illuminate
coastlines, in particular, in stark contrast to the black expanses of the oceans.
All that changed Thursday night, Aug. 14, when the lights went out in New York
City and other major metropolitan areas in the United States and Canada, plunging
some 50 million people into darkness.
These satellite images show the view from space on the night prior to the blackout
(top) and the relative lack of illumination on the night many easterners endured
without power, due to a cascading failure of a major power grid. Other cities
affected included Detroit, Cleveland, and Toronto, Canada.
In a related note, an advocate of space-based power generation said the whole scenario could have been avoided if solar energy were collected in space and beamed directly to where it's needed, reducing the need for complex grids.
Editor's Note: This special weekend presentation of our Image of
the Day will remain the featured photograph Monday, Aug. 18.
Credit: NOAA, Defense Meteorological Satellite
Program
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