A Meaningful Look Looking afar, with Microsoft's WWT | Looking afar, with Microsoft's WWT |
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| by Tony Austin | |
| Saturday, 17 May 2008 | |
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Well, I was way out there in deep space just a few days ago looking at dust clouds and much more! A quick download and installation of the free Microsoft WorldWide telescope (WWT) is all that's needed. Within a few minutes you too can be taking guided tours of galaxies, joining the search for the first black black hole, zooming in on supernovae, looking at the Large Magellanic Cloud, playing a slide show of the solar system, and much more. The WWT has been brewing for quite a while. For example, the Microsoft Research technical report The World-Wide Telescope, an Archetype for Online Science goes right back to June 2002. And now it's available for all to enjoy. ... Well, all Windows users anyhow. The many Linux aficionados amongst iTWire readers will have to make other arrangements. (Hey Linux folks, get a life, Microsoft ain't all bad. Oops, that's sure to get me into strife!)The application is described at What is WWT? as "a environment that enables your computer to function as a virtual telescope -- bringing together imagery from the best ground and space-based telescopes in the world for a seamless exploration of the universe. ... WorldWide Telescope is created with the Microsoft high performance Visual Experience Engine™ and allows seamless panning and zooming around the night sky, planets, and image environments." PLEASE READ ON...
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