India from outer space on Diwali? No way

BANGALORE, INDIA: The image is stunning, but the caption accompanying it is misleading. It says: "This is how India looks like from outer space on Diwali Night." But that is far from true.

The image, which is doing the rounds on social media, is actually a composite of satellite photos of India created by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in 2003.

This is not the first time this photo has been popular on social media. It went viral during the last Diwali with the caption: India at night during Diwali." Diwali is the festival of lights when the entire country is illuminated and fireworks light up the sky in the night.

Chris Elvidge, a physical scientist at NOAA's National Geophysical Data Center, was quoted by Mashable as saying: "The composite was intended to show population growth over time. The white lights depict where populations were centered before 1992, while different colors are used to depict the movement of people."

The photo has gone viral on Twitter too. One post said, "This is how #India looks like from outer space on Diwali Night. Happy Diwali to entire world. Wish you brightness. Pic pic.twitter.com/pRGD0sfK.