Google Earth + Sky: Viewing the Universe on Your Computer

Advancements in science and technology have ensured the sky is no longer the limit. Today, thanks to Google, you can view the universe on your computer, and for free. Google launched the latest version of Google Earth today, Google Earth + Sky.

Using Google Earth + Sky, you can peep into the sky and watch the different constellations, celestial bodies, and also collect information about different entities in space. You can use this application to look at outer space from earth, on your desktop, and vice versa.

The idea behind Google Earth was to let more people get to look at earth from outside. As Ed Parsons, a geospatial technologist as Google put it, the view of the earth from outer space had been the privilege of only a select few, about 25 people in all. Google Earth + Sky was designed to change that scenario.

The target audience of Google Earth + Sky is the rookie astronomer. The application has a huge database of information. It features some 100 million stars and images of some 200 million galaxies. Of the 100 million stars, you can search for information regarding at least 20,000.

You can also view images of different celestial bodies by the Hubble Telescope Scope that NASA sent out to space. Other things you can see include pictures of lunar cycles. These images have been captured over a span of two months.

Google’s latest application is being positioned as an instrument that allows you to see far into the skies and watch whatever celestial bodies you want to watch without the problems of hazy vision due to polluted skies.

Members of the science community have applauded Google’s new tool. Dr. Francisco Diego of the Physics and Astronomy department at University College London said it would provide an opening for people to appreciate and explore the huge entity that is our universe and realize our position in it.

Google Earth + Sky works the same way as Google Earth itself. You can switch to a vision of the sky with the click of a button. Images in the application are sourced from multiple locations, including the Digital Sky Survey Consortium, NASA, the UK Astronomy Technology Centre, and California’s Palomar Observatory.

Google Earth + Sky will be available for use in the next 24 hours, according to a release from Google.