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The Palisades fire ignited around 10:30 a.m. on January 7, 2025, near the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. By midday the next day, the fire had grown to over 11,000 acres (44 square kilometers), and after one week, it had consumed nearly 24,000 acres (97 square kilometers) of wildland and developed areas.

On January 11, 2025, Tropical Cyclone Dikeledi struck Madagascar and the French territory of Mayotte in the Indian Ocean, leaving a trail of destruction. The storm unleashed heavy rainfall and winds exceeding 115 km/h, tragically claiming at least three lives in Madagascar.

Geographers like night images of cities because you see immediately so much about the human landscape—things that are difficult or impossible to see in day images. You see where the cities are located and their shape; the brightest light clusters frequently indicate the city centers. In images with a large field of view, you can also see the position and size of cities relative to one another.

A deadly cyclone ripped through the islands of Mayotte on December 14, 2024. Cyclone Chido’s hurricane-force winds downed electric poles, uprooted trees, and tore roofs off homes in the French territory, according to news reports.