The universe is at your fingertips. As of today, Microsoft’s WorldWide Telescope has gone live, allowing anyone to experience our universe in all its stunning grandiosity and vivid detail. Think Google Earth but for the sky, with the best images from a number of telescopes pieced together seamlessly. From what I’ve heard/read, it looks gorgeous, but being a Mac user, I’m currently shut out.

The WorldWide Telescope joins Google Sky in the quest to represent the night sky. Google Sky has been around for two months and unlike its Earth-looking counterpart, requires no downloads to operate. It might just take some getting used to, but I found Google Sky to be a bit awkward. Google Earth has the curvature of the planet built in, which helps provide a frame of reference and a better sense of spatial relationships. Google Sky is a flat representation of the sky, so it’s like looking at a 2-D map rather than the inner side of a sphere, which is how those of us who are stuck on the Earth experience the night sky. Nonetheless, it’s a pretty impressive data compilation, and worth a look.

Products like Google Sky and WorldWide Telescope seem to highlight a new component of corporate philanthropy. It used to be that a company trying to do good (or trying to appear to be doing good) would donate money to charities, or, more recently, turn “green” in one way or another. But now there seems to be a new focus on education – science education in this case. These companies aren’t just donating money to underprivileged schools or giving out school supplies; rather, they are generating world-leading scientific products that are accessible to all. In this way, they hope, previously under-represented demographics might be inspired to pursue a scientific career. At the same time, the reach an enormous audience – and the web-based nature of the products ensures that their audience is the same group that would buy their products. It’s a advertising / philanthropic hybrid of sorts, and it seems pretty effective.

Eta Carinae