Xplanet

It is normally used to create computer wallpapers, which may be updated with the latest cloud maps or the regions of Earth which are in sunlight.

It is possible to overlay clouds or text (such as the location of recent events) onto these maps; a popular option is shading areas currently experiencing night.

It can either generate wallpaper, save the resulting image, or produce textual output detailing the locations of various objects.

The Windows version comes with a simple editor called winXPlanetBG to assist in updating the configurations and helps to download the cloud maps automatically.

[1] The c-squares mapper, a web-based mapping utility constructed at CSIRO in Australia in 2002 for displaying the spatial extent of c-squares on the surface of the Earth, was upgraded in 2005–2006 to incorporate Xplanet software in order to display "globe views" (example at right).