Microsoft is delivering the universe this spring, dedicated to the memory of Jim Gray.
WWTelescope Frequently Asked Questions
... The WorldWide Telescope (WWT) is a rich visualization environment that functions as a virtual telescope, bringing together imagery from the best ground- and space telescopes to enable seamless, guided explorations of the universe. WorldWide Telescope, created with Microsoft®'s high-performance Visual Experience Engine™, enables seamless panning and zooming across the night sky blending terabytes of images, data, and stories from multiple sources over the Internet into a media-rich, immersive experience...
I remember when Planetaria were high tech -- "... planetarium projection apparatus uses a hollow ball with a light inside, and a pinhole for each star, hence the name "star ball".
Yes, back then I liked to go and watch a fancier version of a flashlight in a tin can.
Now we have Google Sky, and soon we'll have the WorldWide Telescope.
Weird.
I'd like to hook the WWTelescope to a big HDTV and a remote control ...
