WorldWide Telescope Puts Wonders of Space on a PC

To skim the surface of Mars, fly through the Andromeda galaxy, or peer down at a dark earth jeweled with the lights of its cities – all of that seems impossibly out of reach to the average person, not to mention scientists. But since May 2008, it has been more than possible. It has been easy. That is when Microsoft Research released the public beta of WorldWide Telescope, a startlingly powerful piece of downloadable desktop software that allows people to quit simply staring at the night sky and instead zoom through it, visiting planets, constellations, even nearby galaxies.