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The India-Pakistan boundary appears as an orange line in this picture taken from the International Space Station, Sept. 23, 2015. NASA
A nighttime picture taken from the International Space Station of the boundary between India and Pakistan—visible because of a string of Indian floodlights erected in an effort to prevent militants from crossing into its territory–went viral this week.
The U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration said the frontier was one of only a few visible from space at night. Among the others are the dividing lines between South Africa and Zimbabwe and North and South Korea – both marked by sharp differences in the prevalence of electric lighting on the two sides.
In the case of estranged neighbors India and Pakistan, the Indian floodlights, which extend for more than 1,900 kilometers, limn a boundary that is disputed in places.Fences extend along much of the 3,323-kilometerfrontier as well.
Indian security forces say they are trying to prevent militants from smuggling weapons, ammunition and fighters across the line from Pakistan into the Indian-controlled part of Kashmir, a region also claimed by Pakistan. India blames Pakistan for harboring terrorists who strike in India, something Pakistan denies.
In July, Indian security forces shot dead four suspected militants who had mounted a deadly assault on a police station in northern India after attacking a bus. India said the gunmen came from Pakistan.
India’s Home Ministry wants to replace the current floodlights with LED bulbs, which are more energy efficient and has launched a pilot project along the boundary in the state of Punjab using this type of lighting.
A nighttime panorama taken looking north across the Indus River valley from the International Space Station on Sept. 23, 2015. NASA
The distinct, bright light above the horizon is known as airglow, a phenomenon caused by the excitation of atoms and molecules high in the atmosphere by ultraviolet radiation from the sun, NASA said.
This wasn’t the first time a photograph of the boundary from space has been widely shared. This picture was taken from the International Space Station in 2011.
Clusters of yellow lights on the Indo-Gangetic Plain indicate numerous cities in this photographof northern India and northern Pakistan taken by an astronauton Aug. 21, 2011, from the International Space Station. NASA
An undated NASA image of the Earth at night. NASA
A daylight view shows the bends of the Indus River valley winding through otherwise desert country on June14, 2014. NASA
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