Earth’s Four Most Extreme 24/7 Live Webcams!
Live webcams aren’t just windows into busy city streets or sunny beaches anymore. Some of the world’s most fascinating cameras are positioned in places so extreme, that simply keeping them online takes an army of people and is an achievement in itself. From the edge of space to remote wildlife refuges, these cameras show the planet - and beyond - in real time.
Below we look at just some of the most extreme live webcams on Earth!
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1. The Highest Live Webcam on Earth
Mauna Kea Observatory - (4,207 meters / 13,803 ft)
Holding a Guinness World Record and located near the summit of Mauna Kea in Hawaii, which is part of the United States, this live camera from the Subaru Telescope offers one of the highest continuously operating public livestreams on Earth. Positioned at an elevation of approximately 4,207 meters (13,803 feet) above sea level, the camera provides real-time views from one of the world’s most extreme permanent observation sites.
Mauna Kea rises far above the Pacific Ocean, placing its summit above much of Earth’s atmosphere. This unique location is why the mountain hosts some of the planet’s most advanced astronomical observatories. The live camera reflects these conditions, showing rapidly changing weather, intense sunlight, cloud layers below the summit, and frequent snowfall during colder periods.
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2. The Highest Live Webcams in Space
International Space Station (ISS) - Space (400km / 250 miles)
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Technically the highest live cameras available to the public are those three cameras mounted on the International Space Station, which offer real-time views of Earth from orbit. These feeds capture the sunrise and sunset every 90 minutes, city lights at night, auroras, storms, and entire continents drifting beneath the station. Unlike ground-based webcams, the ISS cameras operate in microgravity, extreme temperature swings, and intense radiation - making them some of the most extreme cameras ever deployed.
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The forward facing camera on the ISS is the furthest from Earth, as the other two are attached to the bottom.
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3. The Worlds Most Remote Webcam
Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge - Sand Island, Central Pacific Ocean
Often cited as one of the most remote live webcams on Earth, the Midway Atoll camera sits thousands of kilometers from major population centers. Located within a protected U.S. wildlife refuge, the camera overlooks seabird nesting grounds and the vast Pacific beyond.
There are no cities nearby, no regular tourists, and a very limited human presence. Maintaining a 24/7 live stream here means dealing with isolation, salt air, storms, and long supply chains…all of this and more makes this a strong contender for the most remote operating 24/7 webcam on Earth.
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4. The Worlds Most Extreme Environmental Webcams
Kīlauea Volcano - Hawaii, USA
Live volcano webcams provide a front-row seat to one of nature’s most volatile environments. Cameras positioned around Kīlauea capture lava lakes, eruptions, gas plumes, and glowing vents - often from multiple angles. These cameras must withstand heat, volcanic gases, ash, seismic activity, and sudden eruptions. Some feeds have famously gone offline mid-eruption, only to return later once conditions stabilize or they are replaced.
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🌍 OUR PLANET | A-LIVE 🌍
At EarthLive.TV, these extreme cameras represent the core idea behind live viewing: no edits, no highlights, no filters - just the world unfolding one second at a time. Whether it’s the quiet of a remote atoll, the chaos of a megacity crossing, or Earth itself drifting beneath the ISS, these feeds remind us how vast - and connected - our planet really is.