In little time, technology allowed us to map out every corner of the Earth, build a 3D explorable representation, with an abundance of details related to population and landscape.
With just an Internet connection and a web browser, anyone can visit any place on the globe to plan trips, calculate distances, or simply find out what it’s like in another part of the planet. This not only serves as a fun 3D simulation of Earth but also greatly enhances navigation.
More than this, but the trend quickly spread towards desktop enhancement, because let’s face it, Earth is beautiful from our eye level, let alone seen from space. As such, we found a couple of applications that turn your desktop background into a space view of Earth.
Using EarthView
Step 1: Download, install, and run EarthView.
Step 2: Access the configuration panel by double-clicking the tray icon.
Step 3: Set wallpaper update frequency in minutes. If left at 0 (zero), refresh is done once every second or two.
Step 4: Choose elements to be displayed on the globe. You can pick day and night view, clouds, cities, background, and smoothing. All aspects can be slightly configured.
Step 5: Set camera position by dragging the red dot on the map under the Map Area section.
Step 6: Pick a projection type that can either be globe or map, and decide whether or not the camera should move and how.
Step 7 (optional): Switch to the Screen Saver tab to manage a similar set of options for when your computer is idle.
Using Desktop Earth
Step 1: Download, install, and run Desktop Earth.
Step 2: Double-click the tray icon to set up view and behavior.
Step 3: Choose between Spherical, Moon, or Flat view. The preview displays the desktop.
Step 4: Set Update rate which can be as fast as every ten seconds.
Step 5: Adjust the view and level of details by moving the sliders on the right.
Step 6: Pick focus area, Day and Night image quality from the corresponding drop-down menus.