Microsoft has just launched the Worldwide Telescope , a virtual telescope that allows you to navigate the Universe without leaving your computer screen.
This virtual Universe is built from 12 terabytes of images from the best observatories on Earth and in space, such as the Hubble Space Telescope or the Chandra X-ray Observatory. The software, which works like a video game, allows you to select the wavelength in which we want to see the objects, highlighting the details that matter most. In addition, it offers its users the possibility to create guided tours of certain parts of the sky, insert comments and music, and even share these “multimedia tours” with other astronomy fans. The only downside is that, unlike its direct competitor, Google Sky , the Worldwide Telescope requires the installation of a small 20MB program, currently available only for Windows.
“This new resource is going to change the way we do astronomy, the way we teach astronomy and, most importantly, I think it will change the way we see ourselves in the universe,” said astrophysicist Roy Gould. , from Harvard University.
Worldwide Telescope (www.worldwidetelescope.org)
