NASA satellite images uncover dramatic changes in Earth's nighttime lights

An illustration of earth at night. the planet is mostly black and in shadow, revealing patterns of dots of light tracing the outlines of continents.

A NASA study reveals that Earth is glowing brighter at night overall — but not everywhere, and not in the way scientists expected.

A new analysis of nearly a decade of satellite observations from NASA's Black Marble project has revealed a surprisingly complex picture of how humanity's activities are reshaping how our planet looks after dark. Some regions have dramatically brightened due to urbanization and electrification, while others have dimmed because of energy-efficient lighting, economic decline, the effects of war or policy changes.