APOD shows heavily populated Central Australia

[Kropster]

Today's APOD seems to show central Australia as having quite a large population, judging by the lights showing.

I always thought this would be one of the most underpopulated, dark sky parts of the globe.

What is going on there?

[Knight of Clear Skies]

Good point. Could it be linked to mining in Western Australia? I know that's on of their major industries. Also, another similar map I once saw shows extensive flares from oil drilling and gas extraction operations.

[ronin]

They covered this once on one of the programs about Weird Events or something. The worst thing is I cannot recall what the reason for the illumination was but it wasn't population. Channel was something like the Freeview Reality, Quest or similar. I can recall the artical but not the reason. Are there gas or oil fields there?

Another one they found "strange" was big arrows (think they were concrete) in the landscape, turned out they were to tell planes which way to fly, we forgt that even 50 or 60 years back they didn't have the navigation we take for granted now.

Just had a thought - (rare) It is not the Australian mining operations running 24 hours a day and having large site illuminations is it? They export a lot of ore mainly iron mined by open cast systems and they will operate 24 hours a day.

[Kropster]

I googled a map of mines in Western Australia and there don't seem to be any in the area that is brightly lit.

I am mystified, but there must be a logical explanation!

 

[johnfosteruk]

I remember reading about this a few years ago. Mainly due to bushfires, but also an effect of it being a composite of 22 images picking up lots of transient light sources at different times.

https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/NPP/news/aus-fires.html

[Kropster]

That explains it.

The article remove the mystery.

I think it must be mostly bushfires.... And probably not fishing boats!