project, now is a great time.
The Worldwide Telescope is an effort to construct a massive
map of the universe. Microsoft Research has assembled astronomical data from
scientists all over the world to build a 3D model that users can actually fly
through. NASA’s Hubble Images are used liberally, and Microsoft hopes to
incorporate data from the James Webb Telescope when it launches in a few years.
You’ll be able to do flybys of any star, nebula, or planet astronomers have
gathered data on.
This is more than just a bunch of pretty images, though.
There is real data backing this simulation that makes it useful from the
elementary school level, all the way up to graduate studies. It has support for
visible light, but also X-ray and infrared observations.
Microsoft Research has also built The Worldwide Telescope
with touch interactions in mind. Desktop mouse controls aren’t forgotten, but
pinch-zooming is being held up as the best way to use the maps. The product is
currently limited to desktops, but a mobile version is expected soon.
Microsoft has created an API that will allow developers and
educators to build custom “stellar tours” entirely within The Worldwide
Telescope. It can run in a web browser on PC or Mac, but Silverlight is
required. There is also a Windows client that can be installed. Maybe not ideal
for everyone, but you can’t argue with a free trip across the universe
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