The Dark Sky API provides current and historical weather data for a given location, offering an extensive set of weather parameters beyond the typical temperature, humidity, and pressure. To access the API, developers must first sign up for a RapidAPI account, subscribe to the basic plan that includes 100 free API calls per month, and test their subscription by triggering the "GET Forecast" endpoint with the location coordinates. The Dark Sky API can be used in Python to build animated weather patterns by capturing daily forecasts and storing them in a CSV file. The script initializes with the current date, triggers the API for the next seven days' forecast, parses the response, and builds the dataset. The generated CSV file can then be visualized using tools like Gapminder to showcase worsening weather patterns around the globe.