Evidence of the Christmas spirit shines, even into space.

The NOAA/NASA Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (Suomi NPP) satellite took photos of holiday lights on Earth from space, according to NASA. Lights from areas celebrating Christmas and the holy month of Ramadan shine 20 to 50 percent more brightly than they normally do.

This information provides data on energy use, cultural habits and urban-suburban activity which has socio-economic implications.