Microsoft Shows off the WorldWide Telescope at TED2008

by David Heath

Thursday, 28 February 2008

Look down, you see Google Earth, look up, it’s Microsoft’s Worldwide Telescope. Well, that’s how Microsoft sees it. So far, they may-well be right.

Today at TED2008, Microsoft demonstrated its long-awaited Worldwide Telescope project, doing to the heavens what Google Earth / Google Maps has done for the planet itself.

Using imagery from The Hubble Telescope, Sloan Digital Sky Survey and other sources, brought together with Microsoft’s Visual Experience Engine ™, the Worldwide Telescope offers the same kind of zoom and pan facilities we are all used to already. In addition, ancillary information related to the object within view is also available. Zoom in on Jupiter and additional written information from other websites will also be immediately accessible.

The project is dedicated to the memory of Jim Gray, Turing Prize winner and Microsoft Research Fellow who was lost at sea in early 2007. As well as championing this project, Jim was also active in the development of Microsoft’s Virtual earth.

"The Worldwide Telescope takes the best images from the greatest telescopes on Earth, and in space, and assembles them into a seamless, holistic view of the universe," Harvard University astrophysicist Dr. Roy Gould of the Harvard Centre for Astrophysics, said at the TED2008 conference. Dr Gould, who is also a well-known astronomy educator, says that the Worldwide Telescope "produces a holistic view of the universe and it's going to change the way we do astronomy and teach it, and the way we see ourselves in the universe. Why do I believe that it is transformative? It enables you to experience the universe; you can tour it, with astronomers as your guides; and you can create your own tours and share them with friends. It will enable a new generation of stories and storytellers."

The Worldwide Telescope project product is not yet available for download – expect it in a couple of months. In the meantime, check back at the website frequently.

Look forward to being amazed!

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