The nighttime lights of cities & infrastructure are fingerprints of civilization. 💡⁣ ⁣ With NASAEarth satellite data, scientists detected signs of the shutdown of business and transportation in central China in late Jan. in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. ⁣ ⁣ At night, satellite images such as these capture a uniquely human signal– artificial lighting. Remotely-sensing this light provides a new data source for improving our understanding of interactions between human systems and the environment. ⁣ ⁣ This imagery is part of a larger project at NASA called Black Marble, which is playing a vital role in research on light pollution, illegal fishing, fires, disaster impacts and recovery, and human settlements and associated energy infrastructures.⁣ ⁣ Image Credit: NOAA/NASA ⁣ ⁣ #NASA #CityLights #SatelliteImagery #EarthPics #Science #BlackMarble