Satellite Images of Y2K Fireworks?

Hanno asks: "While watching a summary of the global new year's eve 2000 celebrations on CNN, I was wondering if those celebrations were visible from space. News reports claim that those were the biggest fireworks and light shows in history. So for a space observer, it must have been interesting to watch a wave of fireworks "moving" from timezone to timezone. I guess that some folks from the various military, research and commercial satellite organizations are reading here. So if you have any, "please post pics" I'd love to see a summary of Y2K, as seen from space." Now this would be really cool to see. Did anyone have their spy eyes on for the new year?

Comments

Fireworks aren't that bright from above

[anticypher]

Several times I've been above fireworks shows in an airplane, and the fireworks just are not that spectacular from above.

The displays are designed for maximum effect of the audience on the ground near the show, both for lighting and acoustic effects. When viewed from a few miles away and a few thousand feet in altitude, the fireworks don't appear much brighter than all the city lights around them. And the effects only last a few seconds at a time.

There is an international pyrotechnics festival every summer on the French riviera, which allows nuts^H^H^H^Hfans like myself to watch fireworks from all different angles. Each show is launched from a barge anchored off the coast of different towns about once per week all summer. I've seen them from a boat directly under the bursts (the absolute best), from shore, from a small airplane nearby, from a commercial flight coming into Nice (good altitude), and from the mountains many kms inland. Once you get more than a few kms up and away from the bursts, they are mostly lost against any background city lights. If you are up in the mountains, and there is ocean behind the show, it still doesn't look all that good, but you can pick out the bursts. And if you are at 20,000 feet in a big plane, you really have to strain your eyes to see anytyhing.

The best photos would come from aerial photos, I doubt that even the best spy satellites would have a good enough resolution (rumoured to be 10-15 cm) to pick up individual stars in a burst (stars are usually 1-3 cm). But it would be a fun thing to try out :-)

the AC