Science educator Roy Gould and Microsoft's Curtis Wong give an astonishing sneak preview of Microsoft's new WorldWide Telescope -- a technology that combines feeds from satellites and telescopes all over the world and the heavens, and weaves them together holistically to build a comprehensive view of our universe. (Yes, it's the technology that made Robert Scoble cry.)

Click read more for the embedded Hi-Def video presentation.


More info at the worldwidetelescope.org website

Link: TED Talks


There are 17 additional comments
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Quote this comment Reply to this comment #1 Posted by miguel_montes on 29 Feb 2008 - 14:12
That can't be old news, the video was posted yesterday, like the links you indicated.
Quote this comment Reply to this comment #2 Posted by jasondefaoite on 29 Feb 2008 - 14:18
Wow this looks good. Well done Microsoft!
Quote this comment Reply to this comment #3 Posted by +Skwerl on 29 Feb 2008 - 16:25
This is more of the stuff like PhotoSynth from MS Research that totally blew me away last year. I'm really excited to see this in action. This is going to be a huge boon for the field of astronomy.
Quote this comment Reply to this comment #4 Posted by stifler6478 on 29 Feb 2008 - 17:18
I can't wait for this release. Astronomy has always been a fun little hobby/interest of mine.

-Spenser
(4 replies) Quote this comment Reply to this comment #5 Posted by MrA on 29 Feb 2008 - 17:28
I'm a little confused. I watched the video, then I opened Google Earth. How is this any different from Google Earth, other than being a dedicated app.
Quote this comment #5.1 Posted by Neobond on 29 Feb 2008 - 17:48
Well how about the fact that Google Earth, is mapping of this world.. ok? and WorldWide Telescope is software that allows you to look anywhere in the known and mapped Universe? A bit different I think.

I doubt you watched the whole thing if you are comparing this to Google Earth.
Quote this comment #5.2 Posted by +mrbester on 29 Feb 2008 - 17:52
Last time I looked Google Earth was a dedicated app.
This kicks the crap out of Celestia and the like...
Quote this comment #5.3 Posted by MrA on 29 Feb 2008 - 18:11
(Neobond said @ #5.1)
Well how about the fact that Google Earth, is mapping of this world.. ok? and WorldWide Telescope is software that allows you to look anywhere in the known and mapped Universe? A bit different I think.

I doubt you watched the whole thing if you are comparing this to Google Earth.

Last time I checked, Google Earth allowed me to look at the sky. I can see Milky Way, Orion's Nebula, Hubble Deep Field, etc. It draws out constelations, gives me info on various stars and galaxies (from various sources).

@+mrbester: I meant dedicated to the sky. Google earth does both the earth and sky.
Quote this comment #5.4 Posted by mrmckeb on 02 Mar 2008 - 07:37
(MrA said @ #5.3)
(Neobond said @ #5.1)
Well how about the fact that Google Earth, is mapping of this world.. ok? and WorldWide Telescope is software that allows you to look anywhere in the known and mapped Universe? A bit different I think.

I doubt you watched the whole thing if you are comparing this to Google Earth.

Last time I checked, Google Earth allowed me to look at the sky. I can see Milky Way, Orion's Nebula, Hubble Deep Field, etc. It draws out constelations, gives me info on various stars and galaxies (from various sources).

@+mrbester: I meant dedicated to the sky. Google earth does both the earth and sky.

You really need to see Microsoft's Visual Experience Engine in action to understand why this is better than Google Earth. Gigapixels rendered instantly. Just wait and see.
Quote this comment Reply to this comment #6 Posted by +mrbester on 29 Feb 2008 - 17:49
/me realises he has to up his game from what he was originally going to do... as if there wasn't enough already *sigh*
Quote this comment Reply to this comment #7 Posted by dewaaz on 29 Feb 2008 - 22:07
UM the whole difference is that this puts together infro from "all" different sources like university telescopes, govvernments ones, perhaps amateur ones too and weaves it together to paint a complete view.

If Google Maps does space, I'm quite sure it would just be stuff from NASA or something, limited sources


If this Worldwide Telescope is as seamless as they claim it to be, it would be fantastic... every person on Earth could potentially contrinbute to this, which means different areas of the world concentrating on different parts of the sky coming together to show one truly magnificent view of everything.


Should be good (Y)
Quote this comment Reply to this comment #8 Posted by Lare2 on 01 Mar 2008 - 07:28
Good Project and all. But it didn't made me cry
Quote this comment Reply to this comment #9 Posted by QuarterSwede on 01 Mar 2008 - 16:47
I normally don't like Microsoft software and projects but this one looks fantastic.
(1 reply) Quote this comment Reply to this comment #10 Posted by dvb2000 on 01 Mar 2008 - 23:03
Nothing but a cheap copy of Google Earth.

As others have said, the standalone app has extremenly high res images and also can swithc to a "sky" (or telescope) view of the stars
Quote this comment #10.1 Posted by mrmckeb on 02 Mar 2008 - 07:34
Your lack of insight into what you are talking about annoys me.
Quote this comment Reply to this comment #11 Posted by mrmckeb on 02 Mar 2008 - 07:39
Did anyone know that this is the continutation of Jim Gray's work? A man that went missing under very strange circumstances...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Gray_%28c...er_scientist%29
Quote this comment Reply to this comment #12 Posted by The Walker on 02 Mar 2008 - 19:08
There's a red cube frame to the left of the clip at about 4:30..

why hasn't the part been surveyed when everything else around and beyond it is available?
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