World Air Traffic

This is a 24-hour observation of all of the large aircraft flights in the world, condensed down to about 1 minute. From space we look like a beehive of activity.

The yellow dots are airplanes in the sky during a 24-hour period. Stay with the picture. You will see the light of day moving from the east to the west, as the Earth spins on its axis.

Also, you will see the aircraft flow of traffic leaving the North American continent and travelling at night to arrive in the UK in the morning. Then you will see the flow changing, leaving the UK in the morning and flying to the American continent in daylight.

You could tell it was summer time in the north by the sun’s footprint over the planet. You could see that it didn't quite set in the extreme north and it didn't quite rise in the extreme south.

I had no idea there were that many flights!!