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Slightly off-topic, but I wonder what the big circle of light pollution is in Western Brazil, west-southwest of Manaus? It looks like it's centered over Urucu, which Google reveals is home to a natural gas pipeline. I wonder if there was a fire there or something when the satellite passed?


When extracting or processing natural gas, it's common to burn off some of the byproduct in a process known as "flaring." So yes, there was a fire but there's always a fire.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gas_flare


If that's the cause, it's surprising that it's as bright as an entire city, for example nearby Lima.


No major accidents ever as far as I can Google (I speak Portuguese, so I searched the local web).




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