Diwali, the festival of lights, was widely celebrated across India on November 12 this year. People across the country celebrated the occasion by lighting candles and oil lamps, known as diyas, outside their homes to welcome the goddess Laxmi. Houses were adorned with various lights and rangolis, with decorations often visible days before Diwali begins.
Amid all the festivities, an interesting video from space has captured the attention of many during this festive time. The European Space Agency (ESA) shared a time-lapse video from 2017, showcasing Earth illuminated with colorful lights on Diwali. The footage, captured by French astronaut Thomas Pesquet, displays cities shining like stars and galaxies. The ESA reposted the video on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) to extend Diwali wishes to India, causing it to go viral once again.
In response to the video, netizens expressed their joy and sent Happy Diwali wishes to the European Space Agency. NASA, the American space agency, also joined in the festive greetings by sharing an image of the Liller 1 globular cluster.
NASA drew a comparison between the densely packed group of stars, located 30,000 light-years from Earth, to the earthen lamps or diyas lit during Diwali. The photo reveals blue and golden stars shining brightly in a concentrated area, offering a celestial representation of the Diwali celebration.
NASA highlighted that the Liller 1 globular cluster contains thousands to millions of stars arranged in a roughly spherical shape. This cluster is considered exceptional because the stars within it took more time than usual to form, making it stand out among other globular clusters.