Google Earth enables views into the universe

Hamburg - A new function in Google Earth has opened up the cosmos to
internet viewers.

The new "sky" portion of the software allows users to view the starry
skies, navigating through the galaxies with the click of a mouse, says
Google spokesman Stefan Keuchel from the company's Hamburg offices.

Constellations, planets, and nebulae are all offered alongside
information about their position, size, and orbits.

The highest resolution images of space come from scientific
installations such as the Baltimore's Space Telescope Science
Institute (STScI), the company reports. Views normally reserved just
for astronauts are provided through 129 images of NASA/ESA's Hubble
Space Telescope.

Animations illustrate the course of the moon's phases and the position
of planets two months ahead of time. The various stages of the life of
a star are also depicted.

"Sky" is a component of Google Earth, which is used by roughly 250
million people worldwide. Google hopes for an active exchange among
users, its spokesman says.

It presumes that its views of space on home PCs will provide an
impulse for more people to get interested in the universe. "Sky" is
integrated into version 4.2 of Google Earth, which is available for
free download at http://earth.google.com. (dpa)

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