Saturday, January 06, 2007

Google to get real-time space images

Google is trying to make it easier to peek into space.

The Internet search company has formed a new partnership with scientists building a huge sky-scanning telescope, with hopes of helping the public access digital footage of asteroids, supernovas and distant galaxies.

The manager of the telescope company says he could see the day when Google would be "our sort of window to the general public." Officials also say Google's technical expertise and vast data processing capacity will be an invaluable help, even for a project that has access to some of the country's leading research institutions.

The telescope is expected to begin surveying the sky in 2013, from a mountaintop in Chile. Its goal is to continuously scan space, taking a series of 15-second exposures that allow it to cover the sky every three nights. [ source ]

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