Russia: NASA satellite images demonstrate how war turned Ukraine’s lights out

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    Before and after pictures of Kyiv following Russia's invasion (Picture: NASA Earth Observatory/Cover Images)

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    Before and after photos of Kyiv following Russia’s intrusion (Picture: NASA Earth Observatory/Cover Images)

    Startling NASA satellite images expose how Ukraine’s lights have actually been snuffed out in the wake of Russia’s ravaging intrusion.

    Pictures caught from area program Kyiv lighting up the night sky in January, one month prior to Moscow released its attack.

    However, the lights are substantially dimmed in March as Kremlin soldiers bore down the capital.

    Cities that were when a hive of activity formed dots of light now no longer noticeable following the strong battling.

    The images utilize night-time picking up abilities on NASA satellites.

    The innovation was used by the company’s Goddard Space Flight Centre (GSFC) and the Universities Space Research Association (USRA) to observe modifications in light use in Ukraine.

    After a ‘significant reduction’ in March, power has actually gradually been brought back as routine human activity returns, especially around the capital.

    The information lays bare the devastating effect Vladimir Putin’s intrusion has actually had on neighbouring Ukraine.

    This image shows the bright lights of Kyiv from space in January 2022 - one month before Russia's invasion of Ukraine. These NASA satellite images show how the war in Ukraine has changed how the country looks from space at night - with Kyiv bustling and lit up in January 2022, the lights dimmed in March as Russian troops advanced on the capital, and partially returning in May after Vladimir Putin???s troops withdrew from the area. Other images show the entirety of the country and how the specks of light of some cities that have faced fierce fighting are no longer visible. The images use the night-time sensing capabilities of instruments on NOAA???NASA satellites, with which scientists from NASA???s Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) and the Universities Space Research Association (USRA) have observed the changes in light usage around Ukraine since January. After a significant reduction of lights in March, power has slowly been restored and regular human activity has appeared to pick up in several parts of the country. The Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) on the Suomi-NPP satellite measures nighttime light emissions and reflections via its day-night band. This sensing capability makes it possible to distinguish the intensity of lights on Earth???s surface and how they change. ???It is generally hard to get data about conflict areas, which makes satellite imagery quite powerful. These data show us one dimension of how the impacts of the conflict have been distributed within Ukraine,??? said Eleanor Stokes, a USRA scientist and co-leader of the Black Marble Project. ???In the short term, the data are useful for humanitarian relief agencies because they provide estimates of where and how many people have lost access to basic services, which exacerbates the loss of life.??? ???In the longer term, scientists use this data to understand how conflict has impacted development outcomes and the economy,??? Stokes added. ???Black Marble is also special as a way of tracking recovery from conflict because lights generally follow people. We have worked with organizations like the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre to help assess where displaced persons are most likely to have fled from and to track their return home.??? Ranjay Shrestha (NASA GSFC) and the Black Marble team selected the best cloud-free nights in each month, then processed and analyzed the VIIRS data to produce composites of nighttime lights. The lights data have been overlaid on a base map built from Landsat 9 near-infrared observations (band 5) that helps distinguish the built environment from the natural. ???In the first few months of the war, electricity and basic services were attacked in several major cities,??? said Stokes. ???As the war continued into May, we saw a shift???some continued loss of lights in eastern Ukraine and some recovery in the western part of Ukraine. The Black Marble HD images show recovery in the outskirts of Kyiv, in particular, as residents returned to the capital city.??? Power plants and other infrastructure were systematically damaged in the early weeks of the war, cutting off electricity to millions of people. Some outdoor lighting also may have been intentionally dimmed, removed, or shut off, noted Sergii Skakun, a University of Maryland researcher who grew up in Ukraine and has studied night lights in the region. According to media reports, crews have since been able to restore substations and high-voltage power lines in some regions of Ukraine. However, many areas remain without significant nighttime lighting???perhaps because of a lack of power or perhaps due to intentional choices to keep the lights off. International agencies such as the United Nations Institute for Training and Research Operational Satellite Applications Programme (UNITAR-UNOSAT) use night lights imagery to track conflicts. Nighttime imagery also helps relief and peacekeeping groups identify areas that are most in need of aid and support. Precision is critical for studies with night lights. Raw, unprocessed images can be misleading because moonlight, clouds, air pollution, snow cover, seasonal vegetation???even the position of the satellite???can change how light is reflected. The Black Marble research team calibrates its measurements to account for changes in the landscape, the atmosphere, and Moon phase, and to filter out stray light from sources that are not electric lights. Where: Kyiv, Kyiv Oblast, Ukraine When: 30 Jun 2022 Credit: NASA Earth Observatory/Cover Images **All usages and enquiries, please contact info@cover-images.com - +44 (0)20 3397 3000EDITORIAL USE ONLY. MATERIALS ONLY TO BE USED IN CONJUNCTION WITH EDITORIAL STORY. THE USE OF THESE MATERIALS FOR ADVERTISING, MARKETING OR ANY OTHER COMMERCIAL PURPOSE IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED. MATERIAL COPYRIGHT REMAINS WITH STATED SUPPLIER.**

    The intense lights of Kyiv seen from area in January (Picture: NASA Earth Observatory/Cover Images)

    USRA researcher Eleanor Stokes stated: ‘It is typically difficult to get information about dispute locations, that makes satellite images rather effective.

    ‘These information reveal us one measurement of how the effects of the dispute have actually been dispersed within Ukraine.

    ‘In the short-term, the information work for humanitarian relief companies due to the fact that they offer price quotes of where and the number of individuals have actually lost access to fundamental services, which worsens the death.

    This image shows Kyiv at night in March 2022 - as Russian troops advanced from the North West and into suburbs on the West bank of the Dnieper River (centre) towards the Obolon district. These NASA satellite images show how the war in Ukraine has changed how the country looks from space at night - with Kyiv bustling and lit up in January 2022, the lights dimmed in March as Russian troops advanced on the capital, and partially returning in May after Vladimir Putin???s troops withdrew from the area. Other images show the entirety of the country and how the specks of light of some cities that have faced fierce fighting are no longer visible. The images use the night-time sensing capabilities of instruments on NOAA???NASA satellites, with which scientists from NASA???s Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) and the Universities Space Research Association (USRA) have observed the changes in light usage around Ukraine since January. After a significant reduction of lights in March, power has slowly been restored and regular human activity has appeared to pick up in several parts of the country. The Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) on the Suomi-NPP satellite measures nighttime light emissions and reflections via its day-night band. This sensing capability makes it possible to distinguish the intensity of lights on Earth???s surface and how they change. ???It is generally hard to get data about conflict areas, which makes satellite imagery quite powerful. These data show us one dimension of how the impacts of the conflict have been distributed within Ukraine,??? said Eleanor Stokes, a USRA scientist and co-leader of the Black Marble Project. ???In the short term, the data are useful for humanitarian relief agencies because they provide estimates of where and how many people have lost access to basic services, which exacerbates the loss of life.??? ???In the longer term, scientists use this data to understand how conflict has impacted development outcomes and the economy,??? Stokes added. ???Black Marble is also special as a way of tracking recovery from conflict because lights generally follow people. We have worked with organizations like the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre to help assess where displaced persons are most likely to have fled from and to track their return home.??? Ranjay Shrestha (NASA GSFC) and the Black Marble team selected the best cloud-free nights in each month, then processed and analyzed the VIIRS data to produce composites of nighttime lights. The lights data have been overlaid on a base map built from Landsat 9 near-infrared observations (band 5) that helps distinguish the built environment from the natural. ???In the first few months of the war, electricity and basic services were attacked in several major cities,??? said Stokes. ???As the war continued into May, we saw a shift???some continued loss of lights in eastern Ukraine and some recovery in the western part of Ukraine. The Black Marble HD images show recovery in the outskirts of Kyiv, in particular, as residents returned to the capital city.??? Power plants and other infrastructure were systematically damaged in the early weeks of the war, cutting off electricity to millions of people. Some outdoor lighting also may have been intentionally dimmed, removed, or shut off, noted Sergii Skakun, a University of Maryland researcher who grew up in Ukraine and has studied night lights in the region. According to media reports, crews have since been able to restore substations and high-voltage power lines in some regions of Ukraine. However, many areas remain without significant nighttime lighting???perhaps because of a lack of power or perhaps due to intentional choices to keep the lights off. International agencies such as the United Nations Institute for Training and Research Operational Satellite Applications Programme (UNITAR-UNOSAT) use night lights imagery to track conflicts. Nighttime imagery also helps relief and peacekeeping groups identify areas that are most in need of aid and support. Precision is critical for studies with night lights. Raw, unprocessed images can be misleading because moonlight, clouds, air pollution, snow cover, seasonal vegetation???even the position of the satellite???can change how light is reflected. The Black Marble research team calibrates its measurements to account for changes in the landscape, the atmosphere, and Moon phase, and to filter out stray light from sources that are not electric lights. Where: Kyiv, Kyiv Oblast, Ukraine When: 30 Jun 2022 Credit: NASA Earth Observatory/Cover Images **All usages and enquiries, please contact info@cover-images.com - +44 (0)20 3397 3000EDITORIAL USE ONLY. MATERIALS ONLY TO BE USED IN CONJUNCTION WITH EDITORIAL STORY. THE USE OF THESE MATERIALS FOR ADVERTISING, MARKETING OR ANY OTHER COMMERCIAL PURPOSE IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED. MATERIAL COPYRIGHT REMAINS WITH STATED SUPPLIER.**

    Kyiv imagined during the night in March 2022 (Credits: NASA Earth Observatory/Cover Images)

    ‘In the longer term, scientists use this data to understand how conflict has impacted development outcomes and the economy.’

    The research study was performed as part of NASA’s Black Marble job, which adjusts nightlight information for clinical observations.

    ‘In the first few months of the war, electricity and basic services were attacked in several major cities,’ stated Stokes.

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    ‘As the war continued into May, we saw a shift– some ongoing loss of lights in eastern Ukraine and some healing in the western part of Ukraine.

    ‘The Black Marble HD images show recovery in the outskirts of Kyiv, in particular, as residents returned to the capital city.’

    Some outside lighting might have been intentionally dimmed, gotten rid of or turned off, scientists kept in mind, as the Kremlin continues its attack on Ukraine.

    Despite substantial losses by Russian soldiers, Putin is figured out to catch ‘most of Ukraine’, according to United States intelligence companies.

    Dwindling spirits and installing deaths have actually taken their toll on Moscow’s forces– however the war might remain for a long period of time, it is feared.