Christmas displays: How many lights do you need to be seen from space?

These Christmas displays can be observed from the ISS. Photo / Getty Images

Earlier this week a group of students worked tirelessly to find an answer to the question: "How many Christmas lights do you need to be seen from space?"

It must nearly be the school holidays.

This Christmas conundrum posed in the 2006 Danny DeVito film Deck the Halls, now has a definitive answer thanks to the students from the University of Leicester:

You need only 2683 LED bulbs on your roof to create a truly stellar display.

The findings, which were presented by the university's physics and astronomy department, lit up a discussion on Christmas lights. Razzia Gafur of the department said: "By relating it to a popular Christmas movie and showcasing how knowledge of physics can help us understand and answer some of the most exciting and complicated questions."

NASA's own research has shown that the holiday season already changes the amount of light given off by the planet.

Difference in nighttime light intensity over Christmas and Ramadan are actually visible from space.

Cities have been found to shine from 20 to 50 per cent brighter during Christmas and New Year's -though this might not be news to anyone walking down Franklin Road mid-December.

Here's a list of the brightest Christmas displays from around the world that can be appreciated from here to the International Space Station:

La Grangeville, New York

Smashed it: The Gay family in up-state New York are famous for their record-breaking Christmas bulbs. Photo / Atilgan Ozdil, Getty Images

This quiet town near Poughkeepsie has put itself on the map with festive lights. Local family, the Gays are twice world record holders for their elaborate light displays – they set the record for "Most lights on a residential property" once in 2012 with 346,283 lights and again in 2014 with almost double the bulbs at 601,736.

Largest ever light sculpture, Moscow

The Guinness Book of Records lists Moscow's LLC ZodiacElectro as holders of the largest ever light installation. Its giant Christmas bauble was built out of 23,120 LED lights to mark the 2015 holiday period. While it may no longer be shining, the afterglow of this massive light sculpture is likely still radiating out into the depths of space.

【ユニバーサル・イリュージョン・ツリー】
次から次へと姿を変えるツリーの輝きに、いくつもの感動がうまれる。
世界一に輝いたツリーの、幻想的でスペクタクルな美しさを、間近で体感しよう✨#USJ
詳しくはコチラ⇒ https://t.co/q4QzbIbPA2 pic.twitter.com/LzjRIuz2tE

— ユニバーサル・スタジオ・ジャパン公式 (@USJ_Official) December 16, 2018

Brightest artificial tree, Osaka

In Osaka, Japan, the Universal Studio's record-holding Christmas tree is decked in 580,806 individual lights.

Since last year, the park's colour-changing tree has become an attraction in its own right, and a beacon drawing visitors to the parks other wintry attractions including Harry Potter World Japan.

Sri Lankan lights, Colombo

World's biggest tree: The 2016 Christmas tree in Colombo Sri Lanka was made entirely of lights. Photo / Getty Images

The artificial Christmas tree on Galle Face Green claimed the title in 2016 for "the world's largest artificial tree." Made entirely out of lights it stood at over 72 metres tall.

Although this colossal fir was dismantled last year, there are many smaller light decorations to be found in the Sri Lankan capital.

In this diverse island, the Christmas light sculptures might have been influenced by other festivals such as the Sapparam Hindu festival of light, for which elaborate displays are built.

Franklin Road, Auckland

Franklin Road: Auckland's competitive Christmas lights have been an annual event for the past 26 years. Photo / Phil Walter, Getty Images

The half-ironic Christmas lights have been wholly adopted by the Auckland suburb.
In the festive spirit of "keeping up with the Joneses", Ponsonby residents have spent the last 25 years trying to out-do each other's Christmas light displays. The result has grown to hundreds of houses and millions of bulbs.