We're thrilled to bring a stunning new visual feature to We Are Small—realistic city lights on Earth's night side. Now when you orbit past the darkness, you'll see humanity's footprint written in light across our planet.
What's New
Earth now displays authentic city light imagery on its night-facing hemisphere, revealing the distribution of civilization across continents and oceans. The lights are powered by real satellite data from NOAA's Earth Observation Group, capturing genuine patterns of human settlement, infrastructure, and energy use.
- Real satellite imagery: City light patterns based on actual nighttime satellite observations
- Dynamic rendering: Lights automatically appear and disappear as Earth rotates between day and night
- Visible from space: Experience the city lights in full splendor as you fly past Earth's dark side during your Solar System journey
- Free feature: Available to all explorers, no premium subscription required
How It Works
Our rendering engine intelligently determines which regions of Earth face away from the Sun, then applies the city light texture only to those areas. As you orbit or as Earth rotates, the lights seamlessly appear and vanish based on the sun-facing geometry—creating a truly immersive view of our home planet at night.
The effect is most striking when approaching Earth from the shadow side, watching city lights gradually illuminate the darkness as you get closer.
Explore Now
Ready to see Earth's nighttime beauty? Head to wearesmall.cloud and orbit Earth to experience city lights like never before. Approach from the dark side for the most breathtaking view.