New Web version of fascinating desktop app (both free!)

Hi Chad, would you please post this to the blog? I had never heard of this app before, stumbled onto it while news surfing. A highly interactive virtual telescope from MS-Research. Guess it's been around awhile, but nobody mentioned it as I recall.

http://www.worldwidetelescope.org/Home.aspx

Apparently you can record your own tours, view other people's tours, morph amongst different wavelength images, zoom through space, etc. The desktop version uses your 3D video card to do some nice things not available on the web version.

Enjoy!

-Paul Loux
paul.loux@usbank.com

NASA in the Recovery Package

NASA is getting some financing help from the Recovery package. I went in and did a search inside this file, and found the following on page 42:

NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION

SCIENCE

For an additional amount for "Science", $400,000,000.

AERONAUTICS

For an additional amount for "Aeronautics", $150,000,000.

EXPLORATION

For an additional amount for "Exploration", $400,000,000.

CROSS AGENCY SUPPORT

For an additional amount for "Cross Agency Support", $50,000,000.

OFFICE OF INSPECTOR GENERAL

For an additional amount for "Office of InspectorGeneral", $2,000,000, to remain available until September 30, 2013.

What NASA will do with this money is the next question. Comments welcome! What should they spend the money on?

Colbert has David's back!

The Colbert ReportMon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c

Little Victories - America's Galaxy Is Big

Colbert at Christmas
Colbert Christmas DVD

Green Screen
Bill O'Reilly Interview

Here's the source article of this Big Bang:

Harvard.edu

Ronald G. Eaglin Space Science Center

From: Joan Carr
Subject: Emailing: Ronald G. Eaglin Space Science Center.htm

Chad,

Morehead State University is located in my end of the state, Eastern Kentucky, and has always been considered the step-child of the higher ed system. So, we have been very excited about the development of the SPACE SCIENCE CENTER. Of course it doesn't compare with the big universities and their programs, but it is a giant step for this area. I hope it can be passed on to the blog, that is if you think it has merits for doing so.

Thanks and cheers, Joan of Art and Nature (Carr)

BTW, I had read about the re-evaluation of the size of our galaxy, but I still enjoyed seeing the info posted on the blog.

{Chad's note: Step-children welcome!!}

Take that, Andromeda!

The AP is reporting that additional research has been done on the size of our Milky Way galaxy, and the results are that we are about 50% bigger than we thought. This means we are at least equal to the Andromeda Galaxy in size, not the smaller sister that we had thought we were.

This means that the gravitational pull between the two galaxies is much stronger, so it might not take as long for the collision that David talked about happening around 4 Billion years from now. We might have to change that time estimate down a Billion years or so. Still plenty of time to figure out how we're going to move the furniture, though.

How is everyone doing?