World Wide Telescope to Go Live Feb. 27
Stargazers won't have to leave the house to get a bird's eye view of the heavens anymore. TechCrunch writes in a Feb.18 post that a source close to Microsoft has revealed the company will launch new desktop software on Feb. 27 that enables users to utilize the Hubble telescope to pan around the night sky. The technology is reportedly so astounding that at least one popular tech blogger, Robert Scoble, said it "brought tears to his eyes." Google offers a similar tool built into Google Earth, but the Microsoft app, called WorldWide Telescope, is rumored to sport a better interface in addition to utilizing Photosynth technology that will allow users to "zoom" around 3D photo images of the sky. The InsideMicrosoft blog notes that the technology is rooted in the works of Jim Gray, a respected computer scientist who was lost at sea near the Farallon Islands last January. –Andy Jean
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