Dark Side of the Earth

Ever wanted to float through space and watch the light of a new day dawn across planet Earth? Dark Side of the Earth gives you this opportunity. Visualize the Sun’s radiant warmth casting across our planet, bisecting the world into day and night.

Start by experiencing those perfect 24 hours of equinox, when the Earth’s tilt is aligned so that everywhere on the planet experiences exactly 12 hours of day and night. Or watch the solstice, when perpetual darkness bathes polar regions in one hemisphere, while the other experiences perpetual day. Zoom through time to watch the seasonal cycle of sunlight animate as the Earth orbits around the Sun.

Everything in the app is based on real scientific data: complex geometric calculations are performed to give the correct diurnal and seasonal cycle of sunlight throughout the year. Elevation, land cover, and population data determine the colors of the Earth during day and night. Even real star charts are shown in the background!

You can use Dark Side of the Earth to:

• Understand why there are seasons on Earth
• Calculate out how much daylight there is at any location, at any date in the past or future
• See where deserts, forests, and ice are located on each of the continents
• Relax to the rhythm of the spheres
• Spin the planet backwards in time
• Show your friends that the Earth is not flat
• Meditate on the meaning of your favorite science fiction film or psychedelic rock album lyrics

Dark Side of the Earth was programmed and designed by a single student, Alexey Beall, as a part of the EarthGames team.

We’ll see you on the Dark Side of the Earth!