Space View

Posted on March 17, 2008

Google Sky, which was formerly an add-on to Google Earth is now available on its own. Browser based as Google’s offerings are, Sky gives just what it says, a view from above.

And what a view it is. Follow the bookmarked locations (such as Moon and Mars) or move around on your own. You’ll soon find though that this isn’t a totally unconstrained application . You can’t go just anywhere but are gently led by Sky’s parameters that are in place.

Nevertheless, it’s quite an interesting app. As you would expect, Sky has a search box where you can just input the heavenly body you’re looking for, or just float around taking in the view.

There are sections with the top Hubble images, as well as per expectation, the planets and constellations. But all of this falls into the visible, though distant realm. What is most engaging is the ability to show things outside the normal light spectrum, such as ultraviolet, infrared, and x-ray.

Check it out, it’s pretty impressive.