Happy Diwali to all our readers. One of the most awaited festivals celebrated in India, all citizens wait for these five-days of fun and jubilation. The festival of Diwali began on November 12 and will go on till November 16. So while the next few days will be of fun, togetherness and greetings and wishes of Happy Diwali, it is also the time for 'NASA's satellite image of India during Diwali celebrations. Except, it's not NASA's image in the first place. But each and every year, a satellite image of India starts doing the rounds on the internet with claims of how India looks during Diwali celebrations with all lights lit up! Diwali is of course, the festival of lights, where almost every households lights diyas, lanterns, special lighting decoration but it is definitely not how India looks from space during Diwali. The fake internet hoax has now become a part of jokes and every Diwali celebrations. The same image had come up during the 9 PM 9 Minutes initiative in India in April.

While the picture of India sparkling with lights together is beautiful, it is at least, 8 years old. The original image dates back to the year 2012 when NASA released an original image of Diwali night over Southern Asia. The picture was taken on November 12, 2012 by the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) on the Suomi NPP satellite. You can check the original picture here. But the viral picture is way too different from this one.  Because the viral picture is actually a composite image created by the US Defense Meteorological Satellite Program. The picture was shared two years ago too.

Check NASA's Picture of India During Diwali:

It's Back!

The above picture is very different made with overflights from 1992 to 2003. It shows the growth of population over time with different colours showing when regions saw a sharp increase over the years. It was created by NOAA scientist Chris Elvidge to highlight population growth over time. So be prepared to see this picture in your WhatsApp groups once again and be ready to dismiss the fake claims too. Wishing you all Happy Diwali 2020!

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 13, 2020 07:52 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).