EARTH AS ABSTRACT ARTIST

GOOGLE EARTH VIEW

It’s easy to find new beauty in the world -- just get a new perspective! That’s easy to do with Google Earth View. This vast portfolio of images, taken by Google Earth satellites looks like a fabulous collection of contemporary abstract art.

The satellites orbit thousands of miles above our planet, so our view is expanded in scope -- we see more area at once - abstracted patterns, shapes, and textures, spanning thousands of square miles, are revealed.

As if an artist laid down paint on a canvas, with brushstrokes, impastos, pointalisms, sgraffitos, glazes, and a range of other techniques, the landscapes are mind-blowing in this view. In fact, they really don’t look like landscapes at all -- and many don’t look like they could possibly exist in real life right here on Earth.

Try to guess the place where each image was taken. You can check your answers in the Image List at the end of this article.

Currently, Earth View contains more than 1,500 curated images. You can click or swipe randomly to explore fascinating places all over the world -- some familiar, some remote.

All the images are available as wallpaper for mobile and desktop. We especially love the Earth View Earth View Chrome app that loads a random image every time you open a new tab.

In a way, Google Earth and Earth View offers us a whole new way to travel, by letting us see the world in abstraction as well as giving us a way to zoom in as well as to see landmarks in 3D and up close.

A recently added feature includes input from BBC Earth, NASA, national parks and other resources. Pre-set virtual travel guides allow you pick a topic to explore, a globe with clickable markers pops up; each marker gives facts and some play a video about that place.

If you aren’t sure where you want to explore next? You can select the I’m Feeling Lucky button and you'll be transported on of 20,000 random beautiful places in the world. Once you arrive, Knowledge Cards pop up let you know interesting factoids about where you’ve landed. If you love it, you can save it and return there again whenever you want. It might even inspire a new IRL trip!

Another cool new feature is "Voyager," a showcase of highly interactive expert-guided tours, videos and slideshows. Choose from themes ranging from Remote Islands to Renowned Bridges, and Natural Treasure tours led by the team at BBC Earth. You can even meet up with the chimps at Tanzanian Gombe National Park, guided by Jane Goodall.

Every Google Earth View image has its own unique URL so you can share it with your friends. It’s kind of like sharing an awesome abstract postcard!

So, scroll down to see more amazing images! And, think about it in the abstract -- where would you like to go next? Tell us in comments below!

Read more about Beautiful Earth all this week on BeautifulNow. And check out more beautiful things happening now in BN Wellness, Impact, Nature/Science, Food, Arts/Design, and Travel, Daily Fix posts.

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Do you have amazing photos? Enter them in this week’s BN Photo Competition.

IMAGE CREDITS:

1. Image: by Google Earth via Earth View. Birjand, Iran.
2. Image: by Google Earth via Earth View. Iran.
3. Image: by Google Earth via Earth View. Illizi, Algeria.
4. Image: by Google Earth via Earth View. Pyin Hpyu Gyi, Myanmar.
5. Image: by Google Earth via Earth View. Nunavut, Canada.
6. Image: by Google Earth via Earth View. The Bahamas.
7. Image: by Google Earth via Earth View. Iceland.
8. Image: by Google Earth via Earth View. Al Jufrah, Libya.
9. Image: by Google Earth via Earth View. Mansel Island, Canadian Arctic Archipelago.
10. Image: by Google Earth via Earth View. Pico del Teide volcano. Tenerife, Spain.
11. Image: by Google Earth via Earth View. Ayers Rock, Australia.
12. Image: by Google Earth via Earth View. Al-Hasa, Saudi Arabia.