Google's guide to the galaxies

Google has expanded its map software, allowing users to tour the universe.

The new Sky feature has been developed using data from observatories around the world and is accessible from the view menu in the latest version of Google Earth.

It allows users to zoom through more than 200 million galaxies and around 100 million individual stars.

It comes with a feature that connects the points of constellations and labels each with its given name. This allows you to explore famous constellations such as Orion, Andromeda and Cassiopeia.

The Backyard Astronomy layer has been developed for amateur star gazers. It allows users to quickly access information on stars, galaxies and nebulae that are visible to the eye or when using binoculars and small telescopes.

The Galaxies layer gives a virtual tour of several different galaxies, including the Milky Way, while the Planets layer can track planets, and shows their positions in the sky for dates up to two months in the future.

In addition, users can view animations of lunar positions and moon phases through the Moon layer. The Life of a Star layer shows the stages of a star's life cycle.

The latest version of Google Earth, which is a free download, is needed to use Sky's features.

See also:

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Panoramio mapping service pinpoints locations of photos  01 Jun 2007

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