asleep at light speed
March 14, 2008 8:47 AM   Subscribe

Google Sky we'll help us find our way, someday.
posted by plexi (32 comments total) 10 users marked this as a favorite
 
or another day.
posted by uaudio at 8:51 AM on March 14, 2008


I'm not calling dupe, but on rereading it seems that way. I just also like the sky-view in Earth.
posted by uaudio at 8:53 AM on March 14, 2008


s/we'll/will/g
posted by swift at 9:19 AM on March 14, 2008


Needs more ads.
posted by rokusan at 9:25 AM on March 14, 2008 [1 favorite]


Homophones strike again!
posted by CitrusFreak12 at 9:47 AM on March 14, 2008 [1 favorite]


I find it odd that they don't link the image of the Moon to Google Moon the same way that Earth links to Google Maps. It's much improved since its original debut, and bundling it with this new release of Sky would be a great way to help promote an underrated resource.
posted by Rhaomi at 9:48 AM on March 14, 2008


I find Google Sky (and Earth Sky, if that makes any sense) incredibly hard to use. But maybe that's just because I'm less familiar with the sky than the Earth.
posted by DU at 9:57 AM on March 14, 2008


Homophones strike again!

That is not the right kind of lifestyle! Studies show no society that has totally embraced homophones has lasted more than a few decades.
posted by empyrean at 10:03 AM on March 14, 2008 [6 favorites]


I don't like it.

For one thing, how come when I search for "Sirius" I get what looks like a cardboard cutout sundown. (Ice cream for crow.)

Homophones strike again!

If you speak like Speedy Gonzalez.
posted by pracowity at 10:16 AM on March 14, 2008


A lot of the imagery here looks really cheesy. Look at the big blue pointy thing beside Mercury. (Click the 'Solar System' link in the bottom right corner.)
posted by sindark at 10:21 AM on March 14, 2008


Heh, that's cute. When you click on the Earth from the Solar System panel, it loads up Google Maps.

Which naturally makes me wonder when they will have Google Moon available. I mean, what is the fastest route from the Sea of Tranquility to the Euler crater?
posted by quin at 10:27 AM on March 14, 2008


Bah. Until they release Google Dungeon Dimensions, they're just mailing it in.
posted by Bernt Pancreas at 10:37 AM on March 14, 2008


Google Moon is available, and you can use it to follow the courses of various Apollo missions.
posted by andeles at 10:46 AM on March 14, 2008 [1 favorite]


Yay.

I thought this was going to be awesome, until I saw (c)2008 Google written all over the sky.

Backwards.
posted by mr_book at 10:48 AM on March 14, 2008


One of the things I really like about it is that it bring up the scale of astronomical objects in the sky. Lots of nebulae are about the same size as the full moon in the sky. M31, the Andromeda galaxy, is substantially bigger in the sky than our own moon is. They're just very dim, is all.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 10:52 AM on March 14, 2008


M31, the Andromeda galaxy, is substantially bigger in the sky than our own moon is. They're just very dim, is all.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 1:52 PM on March 14


And this is why you never buy telescopes based on magnification power.

And I'm going to take this opportunity to shill once again for my favorite open source software project Celestia. It is the most realistic fly-through-the-universe astronomy program I have seen, and the developers are very dedicated to scientific accuracy. And you can download higher resolution textures if you want more detail. Here's a sample movie showing off high resolution textures and texture mapping. This video was captured in real time, it wasn't pre-rendered. I've run it at 1920x1600 over 30fps. They just released a new version, 1.5.0, as well.
posted by Pastabagel at 11:20 AM on March 14, 2008 [2 favorites]


I mean, what is the fastest route from the Sea of Tranquility to the Euler crater?

Asking for directions? Must be the First Woman on the Moon !


Sexism demonstrated only for purposes of instilling minor humour. Your results may vary
posted by CynicalKnight at 11:46 AM on March 14, 2008


But where do I click to get the really important maps?
posted by blue_beetle at 11:56 AM on March 14, 2008


Google Moon is available,

That is so freaking awesome. I make a joke and suddenly it is reality.

Hmm, lemme try this out:

I can't wait for Google Cash Dispenser; where, by means of heretofore unknown technologies, Google turns my laptop into a machine that will spew $50 and $100 bills out of the CD slot...

*waits*
posted by quin at 12:25 PM on March 14, 2008 [1 favorite]


It will help us find our way someday?

Search for: Earth
No results.

So, not today for damn sure.
posted by caution live frogs at 12:28 PM on March 14, 2008


On a tangentally related note: i really can't wait until google declares itself an independant, pan-dimentional para-intelligent entity and embarks on the true great work of mankind: google universe
posted by [son] QUAALUDE at 1:17 PM on March 14, 2008


I am slightly disappointed with Google Sky; here's hoping it gets better in the future.

And I am still waiting for WWTelecope
posted by sir_rubixalot at 1:37 PM on March 14, 2008


My god, it's full of stars.
posted by pombe at 2:31 PM on March 14, 2008 [1 favorite]


Pastabagel mentions Celestica, Stellarium is another great open source one which is more focused on planetarium-type display. (And is evidently actually built in to one commercial line of planetarium projectors?) Those crazy French and their ortolans and astronomy software projects.
posted by XMLicious at 4:24 PM on March 14, 2008 [1 favorite]


Tangentially related: Wayne Rosing, the first VP of engineering at Google, left the company in 2005 to work on detection of near-Earth objects.
posted by A dead Quaker at 4:30 PM on March 14, 2008


This is really cool. Microsoft is releasing the worldwide telescope as well, I hear.
posted by entrepreneur35 at 5:27 PM on March 14, 2008


Google Universe already exists. Unfortunately, it only scales to 1:1.
posted by BitterOldPunk at 6:46 PM on March 14, 2008


They're just very dim, is all.

*raises hand, drools a bit*
posted by Wolof at 8:37 PM on March 14, 2008


That is so freaking awesome. I make a joke and suddenly it is reality.

See also: Google Mars. (Be sure to check out the different views. Yes, really.)
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 12:46 AM on March 15, 2008


It'd be funnier if they named somewhere on the moon "green cheeseland."
posted by DenOfSizer at 8:50 AM on March 15, 2008


Amazing. When can I go?
posted by richdan at 5:45 PM on March 16, 2008


There's a hole in the sky, through which things can fly.
posted by oxford blue at 5:21 AM on March 19, 2008


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