Google Sky - Google Earth Gets Into Space (VIDEO)

Users of the latest Google Earth software can now pic a location on earth, and for that specific date and time of day, flip their view skywards and view an accurate representation of space. Using images from institutions including the Digital Sky Survey Consortium, the Palomar Observatory in California and the United Kingdom Astronomy Technology Centre, while the imagery has been freely available online, the simple way of navigating the images will perhaps make them more readily accessable to wider audiences. So now budding star gazers can study the night sky at any time, from any loaction and without the need for a telescope.

BBC Notes, “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.”

Also cool:

Super Close Google Maps (GALLERY)

By changing a few numbers in the Google Maps URL, you can unlock a super close zoom option!  Only a few areas have been mapped for super close zoom, but in those areas you can identify the little people, see animals, etc.  Many of the super close maps are from a National Geographic photo mapping exp… [More]