Google's Data Arts team has released a new, experimental app for its Chrome web browser that offers users an interactive tour of our local stellar space. Dubbed "100,000 Stars", the app draws on scientific data to plot the true positions of thousands of nearby stars, allowing users to zoom, pan, and pivot amongst the heavens …

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Thursday 15th November 2012 03:55 GMT Martin Budden

At last!

For many years I've been hoping for a 3-D star map, and finally here it is!

I have my towel, peanuts, and [see icon].

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1. Thursday 15th November 2012 07:27 GMT Anonymous Coward
  
  Great
  
  If you have a connection where you need it.
  
  With all the light pollution in towns and cities which pretty much hides the stars from sight for a lot of people this is a great app.
  
  Living in the country with just the odd street lamp here and there I just need to look up on a nice clear night.
  
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  1. Thursday 15th November 2012 12:22 GMT Martin Budden
    
    Re: Great
    
    Looking up on a nice clear night is very pretty, I'll grant you that, but because you can't differentiate between those enormous distances all you get is a two-dimensional impression of the map. A fly-around 3-D map is a different experience altogether.
    
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2. Thursday 15th November 2012 07:55 GMT Ian Yates
  
  Re: At last!
  
  I strongly recommend you try out Universe Sandbox, for some extra functionality.
  
  Though this experiment is very good.
  
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3. Thursday 15th November 2012 08:02 GMT Anonymous Coward
  
  Re: At last!
  
  And good to see that just above the towel comments was a picture which had "Barnard's Star" at the centre of it.
  
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Thursday 15th November 2012 05:59 GMT phr0g

very cool.

But does El Reg really think the Universe ends at the tip of the Milky Way?

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Thursday 15th November 2012 06:49 GMT Anonymous Coward

Shame it doesn't work completely on Chromebook..:(

ARM version anyway.

Fantastic app though!

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Thursday 15th November 2012 07:52 GMT Anonymous Coward

Missing planets

Can't seem to find Magrathea, or Trantor for that matter, even Arakis doesn't seem to be there, no Endor either.

pshhh. where are these guys getting their data from?

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1. Thursday 15th November 2012 09:32 GMT Robert Grant
  
  Re: Missing planets
  
  Wow, I got 4/4 references! So excited.
  
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2. Thursday 15th November 2012 09:58 GMT kyza
  
  Re: Missing planets
  
  Try looking for Canopus if you're after ~~Arrakis~~ Dune.
  
  Endor, as any fule no, is in a galaxy far, far away.
  
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Thursday 15th November 2012 10:21 GMT Anonymous Coward

Just remember to bring your towel ..

'Space... is big. Really big. You just won't believe how vastly hugely mindbogglingly big it is...' link

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Thursday 15th November 2012 12:42 GMT Tom Chiverton 1

Works fine for me in FireFox...

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Thursday 15th November 2012 15:04 GMT Anonymous Coward

Celestia...

Oh look, they've webified Celestia - http://www.shatters.net/celestia/

except for that bit of

a) working locally

b) having a much larger database

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Thursday 15th November 2012 15:20 GMT Anonymous Coward

But where ...

... is Lave? Zaonce?

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1. Friday 16th November 2012 08:06 GMT Anonymous Coward
  
  Re: But where ...
  
  Well, if not here, there are only 7 other galaxies. Time to save up for that intergalactic hyperdrive. :)
  
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