Google to map the galaxy with giant telescope

Adam Turner
Sunday, 07 January 2007 22:13

Science - Space

The world is not enough for Google, with the search engine behemoth teaming with astronomers to build one of the world's most powerful telescopes in order to map the Milky Way.

 

Construction of the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST) is scheduled to begin on a Chilean mountain top in 2010. After its completion in 2013, the wide-field survey reflecting telescope will be able to photograph the entire available sky every three nights.

Goals for the new telescope include mapping the entire Milky Way as well as detecting everything from near-Earth asteroids to distant supernovae. Astronomers will use the telescope to create moving images of such space phenomenon, which will be made available to the public online.

Google has been called in for its data processing capabilities, with the telescope expected to generate 30 terabytes per night. Google's midas touch will also assist with publicity and fundraising, with backers yet to secure much of the $US350 million required to build the telescope.

The move comes not long after NASA turned to Google as part of a plan to make space cool again. NASA faces a major PR challenge, with recent surveys revealing 72 per cent of young Americans believe money spent on the space agency would be better spent elsewhere.

Google Earth flyovers of the moon and Mars will be part of a NASA agreement with Google to make the space agency's wealth of information more easily available to the public.