This Tumblr will show you the whole world's weather radar in five seconds
LatestFinally, Earth’s weather comes in GIF form.
Whole Earth Radar is a new Tumblr account that uses daily photos of the Earth posted by NASA to generate a GIF showing the planet’s climate patterns.
The images are pulled from NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Deep Space Climate Observatory, a satellite that orbits between Earth and the Sun and, among other things, takes photos of Earth’s weather. While there is an animation function on NASA’s website, it’s a little clunky, so the GIF format is much appreciated.
The Whole Earth Radar was built by Rob Dubbin, a Late Show writer and internet dream weaver perhaps best known online for creating popular Twitter bot Olivia Taters.
Since it just launched, there’s only one GIF available so far: Sunday, November 22, displayed above. But assuming Dubbin doesn’t decide to stop updating the Tumblr, and Earth and/or NASA’s funding doesn’t dry up, we can hope to expect more.
Plus, it’s a good reminder that we’re a week away from some pretty important —and already fraught— climate talks.
Ethan Chiel is a reporter for Fusion, writing mostly about the internet and technology. You can (and should) email him at [email protected]