diff --git a/Effects/planet-cloudlayer.eff b/Effects/planet-cloudlayer.eff
index bd0850561..28c9e70eb 100644
--- a/Effects/planet-cloudlayer.eff
+++ b/Effects/planet-cloudlayer.eff
@@ -6,12 +6,21 @@
 		<texture n ="0">
 			<type>white</type>
 		</texture>
+		<texture n="1">
+      			<image>Models/Astro/cloud_structure.png</image>
+	  		<type>2d</type>
+      			<filter>linear-mipmap-linear</filter>
+      			<wrap-s>repeat</wrap-s>
+      			<wrap-t>repeat</wrap-t>
+     			 <internal-format>normalized</internal-format>
+    		</texture>
 		<vertex-program-two-side type="bool">false</vertex-program-two-side>
 		<material>
 			<color-mode-uniform>1</color-mode-uniform>
 			<!-- DIFFUSE -->
 		</material>
 		<visibility><use>/environment/visibility-m</use></visibility>
+		<use-overlay-textures><use>/earthview/overlay-texture-flag</use></use-overlay-textures>
 	</parameters>
 
  
@@ -72,8 +81,6 @@
 				<!-- The texture unit is always active because the shaders expect
              that. -->
 				<unit>0</unit>
-				<!-- If there is a texture, the type in the derived effect
-        will be "2d". -->
 				<type>
 					<use>texture[0]/type</use>
 				</type>
@@ -89,11 +96,15 @@
 				<wrap-t>
 					<use>texture[0]/wrap-t</use>
 				</wrap-t>
-				<!--
-        <internal-format>
-          <use>texture[0]/internal-format</use>
-        </internal-format>
-        -->
+			</texture-unit>
+			<texture-unit>
+				<unit>1</unit>
+				<image><use>texture[1]/image</use></image>
+				<type><use>texture[1]/type</use></type>
+				<filter><use>texture[1]/filter</use></filter>
+				<wrap-s><use>texture[1]/wrap-s</use></wrap-s>
+				<wrap-t><use>texture[1]/wrap-t</use></wrap-t>
+				<internal-format><use>texture[1]/internal-format</use></internal-format>
 			</texture-unit>
 			<!--<vertex-program-two-side>
 				<use>vertex-program-two-side</use>
@@ -108,6 +119,18 @@
 				<type>sampler-2d</type>
 				<value type="int">0</value>
 			</uniform>
+			<uniform>
+				<name>structure_texture</name>
+				<type>sampler-2d</type>
+				<value type="int">1</value>
+			</uniform>
+			<uniform>
+				<name>use_overlay</name>
+				<type>bool</type>
+				<value>
+					<use>use-overlay-textures</use>
+				</value>
+			</uniform>
 			<uniform>
 				<name>colorMode</name>
 				<type>int</type>
diff --git a/Effects/planet.eff b/Effects/planet.eff
index a17ffcf89..ac535bb1f 100644
--- a/Effects/planet.eff
+++ b/Effects/planet.eff
@@ -14,6 +14,14 @@
 			<wrap-t>repeat</wrap-t>
 			<internal-format>normalized</internal-format>
 		</texture>
+		<texture n="2">
+      			<image>Textures/Terrain/grain_texture.png</image>
+	  		<type>2d</type>
+      			<filter>linear-mipmap-linear</filter>
+      			<wrap-s>repeat</wrap-s>
+      			<wrap-t>repeat</wrap-t>
+     			 <internal-format>normalized</internal-format>
+    		</texture>
 		<vertex-program-two-side type="bool">false</vertex-program-two-side>
 		<material>
 			<color-mode-uniform>1</color-mode-uniform>
@@ -22,6 +30,7 @@
 		<visibility><use>/environment/visibility-m</use></visibility>
 		<use-clouds><use>/earthview/cloudsphere-flag</use></use-clouds>
 		<use-cloud-shadows><use>/earthview/cloud-shadow-flag</use></use-cloud-shadows>
+		<use-overlay-textures><use>/earthview/overlay-texture-flag</use></use-overlay-textures>
 	</parameters>
 	<generate>
 		<tangent type="int">6</tangent>
@@ -96,6 +105,15 @@
 				<wrap-t><use>texture[1]/wrap-t</use></wrap-t>
 				<internal-format><use>texture[1]/internal-format</use></internal-format>
 			</texture-unit>
+			<texture-unit>
+				<unit>2</unit>
+				<image><use>texture[2]/image</use></image>
+				<type><use>texture[2]/type</use></type>
+				<filter><use>texture[2]/filter</use></filter>
+				<wrap-s><use>texture[2]/wrap-s</use></wrap-s>
+				<wrap-t><use>texture[2]/wrap-t</use></wrap-t>
+				<internal-format><use>texture[2]/internal-format</use></internal-format>
+			</texture-unit>
 
 			<program>
 				<vertex-shader>Shaders/planet.vert</vertex-shader>
@@ -118,6 +136,11 @@
 				<type>sampler-2d</type>
 				<value type="int">1</value>
 			</uniform>
+			<uniform>
+				<name>grain_texture</name>
+				<type>sampler-2d</type>
+				<value type="int">2</value>
+			</uniform>
 			<uniform>
 				<name>colorMode</name>
 				<type>int</type>
@@ -139,6 +162,13 @@
 					<use>use-clouds</use>
 				</value>
 			</uniform>
+			<uniform>
+				<name>use_overlay</name>
+				<type>bool</type>
+				<value>
+					<use>use-overlay-textures</use>
+				</value>
+			</uniform>
 			<uniform>
 				<name>use_cloud_shadows</name>
 				<type>bool</type>
diff --git a/Models/Astro/cloud_structure.png b/Models/Astro/cloud_structure.png
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..c9d8f6b5c
Binary files /dev/null and b/Models/Astro/cloud_structure.png differ
diff --git a/Shaders/planet-cloudlayer.frag b/Shaders/planet-cloudlayer.frag
index 596e1e098..396ee2139 100644
--- a/Shaders/planet-cloudlayer.frag
+++ b/Shaders/planet-cloudlayer.frag
@@ -8,9 +8,10 @@ varying vec3 normal;
 varying vec3 ecViewDir;
 varying vec3 VTangent;
 
+uniform bool use_overlay;
 
 uniform sampler2D texture;
-
+uniform sampler2D structure_texture;
 
 
 
@@ -28,6 +29,7 @@ void main()
 
 	vec3 halfVector = normalize(normalize(lightDir) + normalize(ecViewDir));
     vec4 texel;
+    vec4 structureTexel;
 
     vec4 fragColor;
     vec4 specular = vec4(0.0);
@@ -40,6 +42,7 @@ void main()
 	
     vec3 light_specular = vec3 (1.0, 1.0, 1.0);
     NdotL = dot(n, lightDir);
+    NdotL = smoothstep(-0.2,0.2,NdotL);	
 
     float intensity = length(diffuse_term);
     vec4 dawn = intensity * normalize (vec4 (1.0,0.4,0.4,1.0));
@@ -60,6 +63,9 @@ void main()
     // is closer to what the OpenGL fixed function pipeline does.
     color = clamp(color, 0.0, 1.0);
     texel = texture2D(texture, gl_TexCoord[0].st);
+    structureTexel = texture2D(structure_texture, 20.0 * gl_TexCoord[0].st);
+    if (use_overlay) {texel = vec4(structureTexel.rgb, texel.a * structureTexel.a);}
+
     fragColor = color * texel + specular;
 	
     gl_FragColor = fragColor;
diff --git a/Shaders/planet.frag b/Shaders/planet.frag
index 2364eea0c..b7ca96b21 100644
--- a/Shaders/planet.frag
+++ b/Shaders/planet.frag
@@ -11,8 +11,10 @@ varying vec3 VTangent;
 uniform float visibility;
 uniform bool use_clouds;
 uniform bool use_cloud_shadows;
+uniform bool use_overlay;
 uniform sampler2D texture;
 uniform sampler2D shadowtex;
+uniform sampler2D grain_texture;
 
 
 
@@ -27,10 +29,11 @@ void main()
     float NdotL, NdotHV;
     vec4 color = gl_Color;
     vec3 lightDir = gl_LightSource[0].position.xyz;
-    //vec3 halfVector = gl_LightSource[0].halfVector.xyz;
+
 	vec3 halfVector = normalize(normalize(lightDir) + normalize(ecViewDir));
     vec4 texel;
-	vec4 shadowTexel;
+    vec4 shadowTexel;
+    vec4 grainTexel;
     vec4 fragColor;
     vec4 specular = vec4(0.0);
 
@@ -51,18 +54,27 @@ void main()
 		{shadowTexel = vec4 (0.0,0.0,0.0,0.0);}	
  
 	texel = texture2D(texture, gl_TexCoord[0].st);
+	grainTexel = texture2D(grain_texture, gl_TexCoord[0].st * 40.0);
+
+
+
 	
     vec3 light_specular = vec3 (1.0, 1.0, 1.0);
     NdotL = dot(n, lightDir);
-
+    // due to atmosphere scattering, we should make this harder
+    NdotL = smoothstep(-0.2,0.2,NdotL);	
+   
     float intensity = length(diffuse_term);
     vec4 dawn = intensity * normalize (vec4 (1.0,0.4,0.4,1.0));
     vec4 diff_term = mix(dawn, diffuse_term, smoothstep(0.0, 0.2, NdotL));
 	
     intensity = length(light_specular);
     light_specular = mix(dawn.rgb, light_specular, smoothstep(0.0, 0.2, NdotL));
+    
+    float oceanness = smoothstep(0.0, 0.1,length(texel.rgb - vec3 (0.007,0.019, 0.078)));
+    float specular_enhancement = 4.0 * (1.0 - oceanness);
 
-    float specular_enhancement = 4.0 * (1.0 -smoothstep(0.0, 0.1,length(texel.rgb - vec3 (0.007,0.019, 0.078))));
+    if (use_overlay) {texel.rgb = mix(texel.rgb, grainTexel.rgb, 0.4* grainTexel.a * oceanness);}
 
     if (NdotL > 0.0) {
         color += diffuse_term * NdotL * (1.0-shadowTexel.a);
@@ -85,7 +97,7 @@ void main()
 	float angle = dot(normalize(ecViewDir), normalize(normal));
 	float distance_through_atmosphere = 10.0 / ((angle)+0.001);
 	
-	vec4 fogColor = vec4 (0.83,0.9,1.0,1.0) * clamp(length(diffuse_term.rgb * clamp(NdotL,0.01, 0.99)),0.0,1.0);
+	vec4 fogColor = vec4 (0.83,0.9,1.0,1.0) * clamp(length(diffuse_term.rgb/1.73 * clamp(NdotL,0.01, 0.99)),0.0,1.0);
 	//float visibility = 80.0;
 	float fogFactor = exp(-distance_through_atmosphere/(visibility/1000.0));
 	
diff --git a/Shaders/planet.vert b/Shaders/planet.vert
index c5a311cf5..40befcbf7 100644
--- a/Shaders/planet.vert
+++ b/Shaders/planet.vert
@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@ void main()
         ambient_color = gl_FrontMaterial.ambient;
     }
     vec4 light_diffuse = vec4 (1.0,1.0,1.0,1.0);
-    vec4 light_ambient = vec4 (0.05, 0.05, 0.05, 1.0);
+    vec4 light_ambient = vec4 (0.03, 0.03, 0.03, 1.0);
    
     diffuse_term = diffuse_color *  light_diffuse;//gl_LightSource[0].diffuse;
     vec4 constant_term = gl_FrontMaterial.emission + ambient_color *
diff --git a/Shaders/skydome-ALS.frag b/Shaders/skydome-ALS.frag
index 893ea865f..3b6f7a8dc 100644
--- a/Shaders/skydome-ALS.frag
+++ b/Shaders/skydome-ALS.frag
@@ -224,7 +224,7 @@ float minLightIntensity = min(0.2,0.16 * lightArg + 0.5);
 vec3 minLight = minLightIntensity * vec3 (0.2, 0.3, 0.4);
 
 // this is for the bare Rayleigh and Mie sky, highly altitude dependent
-color.rgb = max(color.rgb, minLight.rgb * (1.0- alt/100000.0) * (1.0 - costheta));
+color.rgb = max(color.rgb, minLight.rgb * (1.0- min(alt/100000.0,1.0)) * (1.0 - costheta));
 
 // this is for the terrain drawn
 terrainHazeColor = max(terrainHazeColor.rgb, minLight.rgb);
diff --git a/gui/dialogs/earthview.xml b/gui/dialogs/earthview.xml
index c0717c80f..b6fa68c27 100644
--- a/gui/dialogs/earthview.xml
+++ b/gui/dialogs/earthview.xml
@@ -85,6 +85,16 @@
           <command>dialog-apply</command>
         </binding>
       </checkbox>
+     <checkbox>
+        <row>3</row>
+        <col>1</col>
+        <label> Overlay textures</label>
+        <halign>left</halign>
+        <property>/earthview/overlay-texture-flag</property>
+        <binding>
+          <command>dialog-apply</command>
+        </binding>
+      </checkbox>
 
     </group>
   </group>
diff --git a/preferences.xml b/preferences.xml
index c5c428946..04375be71 100644
--- a/preferences.xml
+++ b/preferences.xml
@@ -1259,8 +1259,9 @@ Started September 2000 by David Megginson, david@megginson.com
   </scenery>
   <earthview>
     <cloudsphere-flag type="bool" userarchive="y">true</cloudsphere-flag>
-    <cloud-shadow-flag type="bool" userarchive="y"/>
-    <mrd-flag type="bool" userarchive="y"/>
+    <cloud-shadow-flag type="bool" userarchive="y"/>true</cloud-shadow-flag>
+    <overlay-texture-flag type="bool" userarchive="y">true</overlay-texture-flag>
+    <mrd-flag type="bool" userarchive="y"/>true</mrd-flag>
     <cloudsphere-angle type="double" userarchive="y">0.0</cloudsphere-angle>
   </earthview>
 </PropertyList>