The Universe Like Never Before, Microsoft WorldWide Telescope Blasts Off

The 27th of February 2008 will be a day ingrained into the head of every man, woman, and child *2/27???* .  No, it is not because of the momentous launch of Windows Server 2008, although a great achievement in its own right.  Today Microsoft unveils to the public, the WorldWide Telescope!  This amazing endeavour is a result of the work of Microsoft Researcher Dr. Jim Gray to which to the project is dedicated.  WorldWide Telescope will allow children, academics, scientists, and astrophysicists to explore and visualize our universe in a way never before possible.  Taking extremely high-resolution photography from the world's best telescopes, explorers will be able to seamlessly travel through space. 

This innovation has been highly praised by engineers, academics and professors from elementary school all the way up to NASA.  Dr. Roy Gould from the Harvard Center for Astrophysics recently praised WorldWide Telescope at TED 2008 saying,

'This new resource will change the way we do astronomy ... the way we teach astronomy ... and, most importantly, I think it's going to change the way we see ourselves in the universe,” said Dr. Roy Gould of the Harvard Center for Astrophysics. “The creators of the WorldWide Telescope have now given us a way to have a dialogue with our universe.”'

A public version of the software will be available later this spring as the software is currently in private alpha.  Robert Scoble will likely be posting a video on his blog in the next few hours or days.

 

Visit the website at https://wwtelescope.com