Mapped.earth’s interactive Lighthouses of the World atlas lets you browse charted lights on a map and see their reported characteristics represented with animated beams. Popular Science reported on October 2, 2026, that the atlas covers nearly 76,000 lights across 29 coastal regions. Those figures come from the magazine; Mapped.earth’s project page describes its New England map but does not confirm the global count.
What the lighthouse atlas shows
The map is an online, browsable atlas rather than a printed reference. Popular Science describes a global collection of nearly 76,000 lights and 29 coastal regions. The official Mapped.earth site presents the project as “Lighthouses, live” and currently describes charted lights along the New England coast.
Mapped.earth’s description says: “Every charted light along the New England coast, each one sweeping or flashing at the rhythm printed on the chart, over night relief that shadows the beams.” The display is designed to show the lights’ cycles visually, with beams that sweep or flash.
What details are available for individual lights
According to Popular Science, the atlas includes attributes such as beacon height, light color, visibility distance, structure height, and rotational speed. Its animations are intended to represent a light’s reported color and cycle. These features describe how the map presents its records; they do not establish that every record is complete or accurate.
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Muskegon South Breakwater Lighthouse example
Popular Science gives Muskegon South Breakwater Lighthouse in Michigan as an example: the light is reported as visible for eight nautical miles and flashing at six-second intervals, rather than rotating. Those are the figures reported in the article, not independently checked chart data.
Where the atlas data comes from—and what that tells you
Popular Science says the atlas draws on open-source data collections from organizations that include the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA). The article does not list the specific datasets, their versions, or update dates. This identifies reported data sources; it does not mean NOAA or NGA created, endorsed, or maintains Mapped.earth’s atlas.
The official project page describes charted lights and their animation, but does not confirm the global total, the 29-region figure, or the Muskegon example. The available information also does not independently establish the atlas’s completeness or accuracy. Since coverage may change as more coasts are charted, treat the figures as those reported by Popular Science on October 2, 2026, rather than a guaranteed live total.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How to explore the map
- Open Mapped.earth and find the “Lighthouses, live” project.
- Browse the map to inspect charted lights along the New England coast, the coverage described on the official page.
- Watch for beams that sweep or flash to see the light cycle represented in the map.
- Use the individual-light attributes described by Popular Science—such as color, visibility distance, and height—to understand what the atlas presents for a light. The sources do not establish that every attribute is available for every mapped light.
For background on the reported global coverage and the Muskegon example, read Popular Science’s October 2, 2026 article.
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