GOES Earth Loop Screensaver
The Earth Loop screensaver is a live full-disk satellite view of the Earth's clouds from the GOES weather satellites via NASA GIBS, drifting slowly over the planet and refreshing to the newest frame. It's free, key-less, runs in your browser, and ESC exits.
How the Earth Loop screensaver works
The saver loads NASA GIBS map tiles for the GOES GeoColor mosaic — the same true-color satellite imagery you see in forecasts — with no key required.
It centers on the chosen satellite's view (GOES-East over the Americas or GOES-West over the Pacific) and composes the tiles into a seamless disc.
A slow drift pans gently over the clouds so the scene feels alive.
Every few minutes it re-pulls the latest GeoColor frame, so the weather you see stays current.
A worked example
The planet hangs there in true color, storm systems swirling across oceans and continents, the terminator line dividing day from night — all real GOES imagery, drifting slowly and quietly refreshing to the newest view from orbit.
Settings & tips
- Satellite chooses GOES-East (Americas) or GOES-West (Pacific).
- Loop speed sets how fast the view drifts.
- Background sets the space color.
Frequently asked questions
- Is this live satellite imagery?
- Yes. It's the GOES GeoColor mosaic served by NASA GIBS, refreshed to the latest frame every few minutes while it runs.
- Does it need a key?
- No. NASA GIBS imagery is free and key-less; the saver only needs an internet connection.
- Why does it drift instead of fast-animating?
- It shows the latest full-disk view with a gentle pan and refreshes to newer frames, keeping the imagery current and readable rather than choppy.
- What's the difference from Weather Radar?
- Radar shows precipitation over a region; Earth Loop shows the whole cloud field from a geostationary satellite.
- Is it free?
- Yes — free, no download, in your browser.