Open Earth
REAL SUN DIRECTION · CUPOLA 3D VISUALIZATION

A LIVING PLANET. A CLEARER TOMORROW.

See what is
happening on Earth.

An extraordinary view of our planet, built from actual Earth observations, scientific models and orbital calculations. Explore what we can see — and what the data really means.

Explore the Scene Daily Earth Reports

Instrument observations and simulated layers are labelled separately.

DAWN / EARTH TERMINATORFollowing Earth’s sunriseUTC solar geometry · mixed-age source imagery
01 / EARTH OBSERVATORY

01 / SELECTED OBSERVATIONS

Original CUPOLA visuals, scientific context, and source records.

All field notes
THE EARTH OBSERVATORYOne Earth. Different instruments.Our own orbital still will appear here after cloud-coverage and acquisition-time review.
CUPOLA 3D VISUALIZATION
LAND / FIRE · NASA ARCHIVE / 2023 ARCHIVE

When the forest burns beneath the canopy

A Landsat view reveals why thermal and infrared evidence can tell a different story from what ordinary colour images show.

Explore the science of sunrise

CUPOLA visuals are 3D representations, not satellite photos. Linked NASA archives are dated sources, not today's planetary conditions. Only separately reviewed CUPOLA frames appear here. Our methodology

02 / GO DEEPER

Choose your perspective.

Explore the science without losing sight of the planet.

EARTHClouds, light & changeEVENTSWhat instruments detectIN ORBITSpacecraft & their pathsTHE JOURNALDaily reports, when verified

03 / FIELD NOTES

Understand what you see.

Short guides to the instruments and calculations behind CUPOLA.

Methodology
01 / CLOUD COVERAGE

What satellites cannot see

Footprints and acquisition times matter.

02 / SOLAR GEOMETRY

Where night begins

A calculated boundary, not a live photograph.

03 / NIGHT RADIANCE

Reading the lights below

Brightness alone cannot measure population.

04 / THE ORIGINAL OBSERVATORY

Go beyond the image.

CUPOLA brings source-labelled observations and calculated phenomena together on one interactive globe. Each data layer has its own clock.

Open the 3D Earth Inspect the sources
ORIGINAL SCENE MEDIAReal frames. No fictional footage.

Reviewed scene films are added only after capture and source verification.