A single image of Earth from an unfamiliar angle is sending shivers down spines—and it’s all because of how much it upends our everyday view of the planet. Captured via Google Earth and shared on social media, the image shows the Pacific Ocean side of the Earth in near-total isolation, reminding viewers just how much of the planet is water, not land.
The shot, posted by @AMAZlNGNATURE on X (formerly Twitter), reveals the Earth’s oceanic hemisphere—an area made up of roughly 89% ocean and only 11% land. In the image, there’s barely a sliver of green visible: just New Zealand tucked to one side and a frosty edge of Antarctica. The rest is a vast, uninterrupted swath of deep blue.
For many, the view was jarring. “Feels wrong. I feel like I’m seeing something I shouldn’t,” one user wrote. Others chimed in with comments like “Earth should actually be called water,” and “The back of Earth’s head is crazy.” The image forces a shift in perspective, especially for those used to seeing land-dominated maps from the Northern Hemisphere.
The side of planet Earth we aren't used to seeing. pic.twitter.com/qKBsGiQFLv
— Nature is Amazing ?? (@AMAZlNGNATURE) May 4, 2025
Of course, the Pacific isn’t empty. Small land masses do exist in this image—Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, Hawaii, French Polynesia, and even Easter Island all dot the ocean expanse, though they’re often too small to register at this scale. Still, the feeling of vulnerability in the vast blue struck a chord with many viewers, especially those unaccustomed to seeing the Earth’s watery majority.
For Pacific Islanders and New Zealanders, though, the image didn’t feel so foreign. “To us, this is the front of Earth,” one person noted. Another joked, “Ah finally, a map we’re not left off of for once.” It’s all a matter of perspective—and for a moment, the planet’s vastness became a little more real for the rest of the world.
