WORLD NEWS VIEWNASA uses night lights to study Hurricane Isaias power outages
A NASA Earth Observatory feature published October 16 used satellite observations of nighttime lights along the Florida Panhandle to show how power outages and restoration can be seen from space.
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What happened
A NASA Earth Observatory feature published October 16 used satellite observations of nighttime lights along the Florida Panhandle to show how power outages and restoration can be seen from space.
Context and what is known
Comparing imagery taken at different times helps track broad recovery patterns. The images are evidence of light-level changes, not a house-by-house utility outage register.
Understanding the research
Nighttime satellite imagery can reveal a blackout by comparing changes in lights, but dark pixels are not a precise count of homes without electricity. Cloud cover, imaging conditions and normal differences in lighting have to be considered. NASA's side-by-side images are best understood as evidence of broad disruption and recovery, not as a replacement for utilities' customer-level outage records.