If you haven’t tried Google Earth yet, there’s a new reason to oogle the Earth from your computer screen with Google’s globe trotting software: you can watch the sun rise from points of interest all over the world. Courtesy of Discovery HD Theater’s “Sunrise Earth” program, this new Google Earth layer adds hot spots all over the globe that link to sunrise videos in DHD’s video library. Here’s how to do it:
- Download and install Google Earth.
- Once you’re up and running, locate the “Layers” panel on the bottom left.
- Expand the following categories: Primary Database → Featured Content → Discovery Networks.
- Check off “Sunrise Earth”.
If you can’t find these layer categories, select “View: All Layers” and try again.
Once you check off the “Sunrise Earth” layer, you’ll see Discovery Channel icons sprinkled all over the globe. Click on any one of these, and you’ll be able to watch the sun rise from places such as Alaska, Reykjavic in Iceland, the Foothills of Turkey, and much more. The screen capture you see above is one of Tai Chi practicioners in action while the sun rises over the Golden Gate bridge in San Francisco.
Google Earth is definitely one of those “Wow” applications — I guarantee that you’ll be interested the second that you type in a location and see the globe spin in front of you. Many of the satellite photos are so clear, that some of you might be able to spot your own car parked outside your front door.
