Get to grips with the Final Frontier as Microsoft took the wraps off its online Worldwide Telescope, allowing avid stargazers to view the most stunning images captured by ground and space-based observatories.
The application uses software and Web 2.0 services created using Microsoft’s Visual Experience Engine, allowing users to seamlessly pan and zoom the skies. It takes terabytes of high-resolution images of celestial bodies from all the key observatories and stitches them together. People can happily browse through the solar system, galaxy and beyond or, even take guided online tours with leading astronomers and boffins.
“The WorldWide Telescope is a powerful tool for science and education that makes it possible for everyone to explore the universe,” said Bill Gates, chairman of Microsoft. “By combining terabytes of incredible imagery and data with easy-to-use software for viewing and moving through all that information, the WorldWide Telescope opens the door to new ways to see and experience the wonders of space. Our hope is that it will inspire young people to explore astronomy and science, and help researchers in their quest to better understand the universe.”
Roy Gould, a researcher at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, added:
“Users can see the X-ray view of the sky, zoom into bright radiation clouds, and then cross-fade into the visible light view and discover the cloud remnants of a supernova explosion from a thousand years ago. I believe this new creation from Microsoft will have a profound impact on the way we view the universe.”
Download it for yourself and let us know how you get on.-Martin Lynch
[WorldWide Telescope]
space microsoft camera
Post a new comment
Editor and Contributor | Martin Lynch
RSS Feed
Comments
cool pic my dad is an astro-physicist
http://hawaiiattorneyonline.com/
Can I use it to fly around and shoot people?