BBC NEWS | Technology | Google Earth given celestial view

The constellations of Andromeda, Hydra and Vulpecula are now just a
mouse click away for amateur star-gazers, following the launch of
Google Sky.

The tool is an add-on to Google Earth, a program that allows users to
search a 3D rendition of our planet's surface.

Sky will allow astronomers a chance to glide through images of more
than one million stars and 200 million galaxies.

Optional layers allow users to explore images from the Hubble Space
Telescope as well as animations of lunar cycles.

"The basic idea is to take Google Earth and turn it on its head," Ed
Parsons, Geospatial technologist at Google told the BBC News website.

"So rather than using it to view imagery of the Earth, use it to view
imagery of space."
Dr John Mason of the British Astronomical Association, Britain's
largest body for amateur astronomers said: "Light pollution and air
pollution is now so bad in many areas that all you can see when you
look up is a few dozen stars.

"If this helps people to realise just what they are missing, it is a
jolly good thing."
Clear view

To use the new system, users will need to have Google Earth installed
on their computer.
Digital astronomers can then zoom into an area from which they want to
view the night sky.

Much more at http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/6955787.stm

I've just downloaded the newest version of GE and there's a new button
that turns the view on its head...
Not bad at the moment, and knowing GE is bound to get better

On Wed, 22 Aug 2007 00:49:32 -0700, "
wrote:

I've just downloaded the newest version of GE and there's a new button
that turns the view on its head...
Not bad at the moment, and knowing GE is bound to get better

It reminds me of the days before light pollution. Google Sky may help
people realise how light pollution has destroyed the view of the night
sky.

Steve

--
Steve Wolstenholme Neural Planner Software Ltd

EasyNN-plus. The easy way to build neural networks.

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