EarthDesk is a software application for
Microsoft WindowsMicrosoft Windows is a series of software operating systems and graphical user interfaces produced by Microsoft. Microsoft first introduced an operating environment named Windows in November 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces...
and
Mac OS XMac OS X is a line of computer operating systems developed, marketed, and sold by Apple Inc., and since 2002 has been included with all new Macintosh computer systems...
that changes the computer user’s
desktop imageWallpaper is an image used as a background on a computer screen, usually for the desktop of a graphical user interface...
to a constantly updating view of
EarthEarth is the third planet from the Sun. It is the fifth largest of the eight planets in the solar system, and the largest of the terrestrial planets in the Solar System in terms of diameter, mass and density...
. The software can be set to update
daylightDaylight or the light of day is the combination of all direct and indirect sunlight outdoors during the daytime . This includes direct sunlight, diffuse sky radiation, and both of these reflected from the Earth and terrestrial objects...
and
moonlightMoonlight is the light that comes to Earth from the Moon. This light does not originate from the Moon, but is actually reflected sunlight. In many legends and fantasy games, moonlight is an important part of magical processes .- Illumination :The intensity of moonlight varies greatly depending on...
coverage on the map, as well as live
cloudA cloud is a visible mass of droplets or frozen crystals suspended in the atmosphere above the surface of the Earth or another planetary body. A cloud is also a visible mass attracted by gravity, such as masses of material in space called interstellar clouds and nebulae...
images which are superimposed onto the map. The cloud option requires an
InternetThe Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standardized Internet Protocol Suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
connection.
The map is fully customisable. Users can choose between various
map projectionA map projection is any method of representing the surface of a sphere or other shape on a plane. Map projections are necessary for creating maps. All map projections distort the surface in some fashion...
s, whether to use a
satelliteIn the context of spaceflight, a satellite is an object which has been placed into orbit by human endeavor. Such objects are sometimes called artificial satellites to distinguish them from natural satellites such as the Moon....
image or political map, and whether to show
nightNight or nighttime is the period of time when the sun is below the horizon. The opposite of night is day . Time of day varies based on factors such as season, latitude, longitude and timezone.-Duration and geography:Nights are shorter than days on average due to two factors...
time and moonlight.
Discussion
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EarthDesk is a software application for
Microsoft WindowsMicrosoft Windows is a series of software operating systems and graphical user interfaces produced by Microsoft. Microsoft first introduced an operating environment named Windows in November 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces...
and
Mac OS XMac OS X is a line of computer operating systems developed, marketed, and sold by Apple Inc., and since 2002 has been included with all new Macintosh computer systems...
that changes the computer user’s
desktop imageWallpaper is an image used as a background on a computer screen, usually for the desktop of a graphical user interface...
to a constantly updating view of
EarthEarth is the third planet from the Sun. It is the fifth largest of the eight planets in the solar system, and the largest of the terrestrial planets in the Solar System in terms of diameter, mass and density...
. The software can be set to update
daylightDaylight or the light of day is the combination of all direct and indirect sunlight outdoors during the daytime . This includes direct sunlight, diffuse sky radiation, and both of these reflected from the Earth and terrestrial objects...
and
moonlightMoonlight is the light that comes to Earth from the Moon. This light does not originate from the Moon, but is actually reflected sunlight. In many legends and fantasy games, moonlight is an important part of magical processes .- Illumination :The intensity of moonlight varies greatly depending on...
coverage on the map, as well as live
cloudA cloud is a visible mass of droplets or frozen crystals suspended in the atmosphere above the surface of the Earth or another planetary body. A cloud is also a visible mass attracted by gravity, such as masses of material in space called interstellar clouds and nebulae...
images which are superimposed onto the map. The cloud option requires an
InternetThe Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standardized Internet Protocol Suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
connection.
Features
The map is fully customisable. Users can choose between various
map projectionA map projection is any method of representing the surface of a sphere or other shape on a plane. Map projections are necessary for creating maps. All map projections distort the surface in some fashion...
s, whether to use a
satelliteIn the context of spaceflight, a satellite is an object which has been placed into orbit by human endeavor. Such objects are sometimes called artificial satellites to distinguish them from natural satellites such as the Moon....
image or political map, and whether to show
nightNight or nighttime is the period of time when the sun is below the horizon. The opposite of night is day . Time of day varies based on factors such as season, latitude, longitude and timezone.-Duration and geography:Nights are shorter than days on average due to two factors...
time and moonlight. The map can be centered and zoomed up to 400% anywhere on Earth. In addition to centering on a fixed point, EarthDesk can centre on the current position of the
MoonThe Moon is Earth's only natural satellite and the fifth largest satellite in the Solar System. The average centre-to-centre distance from the Earth to the Moon is , about thirty times the diameter of the Earth. The common centre of mass of the system is located at about —a quarter the Earth's...
or
SunThe Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. The Earth and other matter orbit the Sun, which by itself accounts for about 99.86% of the Solar System's mass....
. EarthDesk supports multiple monitors.