globe-arcs · 3D

Drag to orbit · scroll to zoom · right-drag to pan · Space = play/pause · R = reset view · F = fullscreen

Science

Globe Arcs: Ballistic Trajectories

What you see

A stylised Earth turns slowly in space. In waves, glowing arcs rise from points on the continents and come down at other points: a bright head moves along each arc and leaves a fading trail. A flash marks the launch, and an expanding ring marks the impact.

How it works

Each arc follows the great circle between two points, the shortest path on a sphere. Its height grows with the distance, so long arcs climb higher, which looks like a ballistic trajectory.
The continents come from the public-domain Natural Earth 110 m land data (about 70 KB, bundled with the demo). They are drawn as a texture plus a field of dots.
The atmosphere is a fresnel glow, and the stars are random points on a distant sphere.

Try it

Intensity sets how many arcs start per wave.
Pause rotation stops the globe so you can follow single arcs. Drag to orbit, and scroll to zoom.

Neutral data visualisation, with no real places, actors or events.

globeearthgreat circletrajectoryarcsdata visualizationthree.js