This is an example of what can be done using Actionscript 3.0. I built this using PaperVision class libraries. I modified some code in an example provided via lynda.com. In this example, a rotating sphere is created. A skin of the earth and a skin of clouds are composited together and placed on the rotating earth. Next, the camera view is set to oscilate slightly to give a greater impression of depth. Lastly, a particle field is generated to give the appearance of stars. This is all done using the Flash Builder tool. I also provide a copy of the source code (along with some other examples). The source code link will open in a new browser window/ tab so you can observe the code and the results.

This example is relatively processor intensive. If it appears to run slowly, it is because of the amount of resources being consumed. It may also require a little time for the .swf file to load (depending on your Internet connection. Just wait for a moment to observe the effects. Keep in mind that behind the scenes, there is a bitmap image of the earth and of some clouds. All the rest of the interactivity is created using Actionscript on those two JPEG images.