Images of the Earth from space give us a truly remarkable view of our planet. Google Earth has blasted these images into the homes of millions of users, blending satellite and aerial photography to create a fantastic resource (hey, I can see my house… no wait, my cat!). However, there is something the patchy, icon-ridden montage doesn’t always capture…

The sheer and overwhelming beauty of the planet. Just click on the image above and find your way to the high resolution versions. The detail and colours provided by the NASA Visible Earth catalogue are beyond description. Whether you want to take a look at topography, atmospheric phenomena, or even plumes of ash from volcanoes, the repository holds over 100,000 images. Dust storms can be seen flying off the Moroccan coast and trios of storms wending their way across the Indian Ocean.

In the context of my project, this resource provides me with an invaluable source of information. The forms of planet’s topography and atmosphere can be studied in great detail. By implementing realistic cloud structures and landscape into my textures, the final planet renderings will be far more believeable. Clouds in particular is an aspect I have struggled with in the past. Colours can also be sampled from these photographs, giving me a swatch of actual terrain colours to use. The images also raise certain points about the state of the world: with aircraft contrails being so great in number, and great clouds of pollution drifting off continents. Such factors can be commented on and emphasised in my own interpretations of future Earth. Finally, one of the site’s most famous images is the “City Lights” representation. Urbanisation becomes entirely visible.

Visit the site: http://visibleearth.nasa.gov/