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Download Now: Microsoft’s WorldWide Telescope Released

worldwidetelescope.org — Microsoft has released its highly anticipated Worldwide Telescope software, which can be used by astronomers and non-astronomers alike to explore the heavens with a desktop client akin to Google Earth.

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  • chandan333, on 05/13/2008, -7/+53Direct Link to Download:
    http://www.worldwidetelescope.org/experienceIt/Exp ...
    • ljsmithx, on 05/13/2008, -1/+8http://download.microsoft.com/download/1/f/8/1f876 ...
      • BoonTobias, on 05/14/2008, -0/+0Microsoft Blue Sky™, when the blue screen of death is not enough
        • AlanSim, on 05/14/2008, -0/+0This anti-MS crap is getting old. How many educational projects and nonprofit apps does Apple develop? Let's not forget the Steve Jobs foundation. Wait, there ain't one. I'd rather have Bill Gates's karma.
    • uhhNo, on 05/13/2008, -0/+6you forgot to mention to NOT click play on that video on that page
      • ljsmithx, on 05/14/2008, -0/+4I just watched that video..
        *shivers*
    • iSamurai, on 05/14/2008, -0/+2http://www.fastcompany.tv/video/exclusive-first-lo ...
    • Cryoniq, on 05/14/2008, -14/+7 WorldWide Telescope minimum system requirements

      For PC:

      * Microsoft® XP SP2 (minimum), Windows® Vista® (recommended)


      No thanks. I never install and run MS Broken Windows ever again. If they cannot make a client etc. for GNU/Linux, then it is a HUGE FAIL!
      • lazyeyesam, on 05/14/2008, -4/+6Why would/should they?
        • nailer, on 05/14/2008, -3/+4Because 10% of people don't use Windows. And making it compile on Linux is as simple as getting a Visual Mainwin license, and hitting a button in Visual Studio.

          Much less if it's .net based. Seriously, in 2008 why is anyone releasing software for Windows exclusively?
  • floort, on 05/13/2008, -39/+32Only runs in Windows natch... :(
    • daldredge, on 05/13/2008, -10/+29You are welcome to spend the money to develop a cross platform version.

      • Croecop, on 05/13/2008, -36/+9You are welcome to shut your nerd face
        • fieldhockey44, on 05/13/2008, -4/+31If the words "cross platform version" are too nerdy for you, you don't belong on digg.
        • bjornski, on 05/13/2008, -14/+11Nerd?

          You're the one using what's basically a non-standard OS.
          • supermanred, on 05/14/2008, -2/+4How dare he use an OS that works!
          • bjornski, on 05/14/2008, -4/+6Fine. It "works".

            Then go run your software that "works", and quit bitching that their competition doesn't support them. I'm sure your huge Linux community can find some way to either make a bad copy or an emulator to run it.
          • wigren, on 05/14/2008, -1/+1It's called Celestia and it's been around for 7 years.
          • bjornski, on 05/15/2008, -1/+1Well, then you're not missing out on a single thing, are you?
    • fieldhockey44, on 05/13/2008, -5/+5It's weird, because 2 hours ago when i downloaded it there was a section for downloading to mac, but it has since disappeared...
      • supermanred, on 05/14/2008, -4/+4Too bad. I no longer have Vista or XP installed on my Macbook, only OS X and Ubuntu.
    • paradexes, on 05/14/2008, -11/+5MS Shills no doubt are the ones who buried this. Their marketing team is all over this no doubt.
      • Fartag, on 05/14/2008, -3/+2No doubt. An easy guide to identifying shillery is when common sense is clearly tossed out the window in favor of statements that benefit Microsoft the most! Microsoft runs the ads for Digg, and Digg is not an unbiased web site.
        • bjornski, on 05/15/2008, -0/+1Maybe a small percentage of the 80% of the global computing market that uses Windows kinda likes it?
    • sockpuppets, on 05/14/2008, -4/+4Windows Natch™
      Is that like a version of windows that runs only on vaginas?

      "To reboot Windows Natch™ simply use the 3 fingered salute."
    • anononon, on 05/14/2008, -2/+2What was your first clue?
    • Myztry, on 05/14/2008, -3/+2I'd like to check it out to see what Microsoft what fine imitations Microsoft is 'researching' now, but the loader get to 99% and .... nothing.... sleepies....
      Has the Digg effect got it, or is it the usual Microsoft thing where the last 1 percent of the progress bar takes 99% of the time....
    • Theli, on 05/14/2008, -0/+3That's kind of the difference between Microsoft making a space-exploration-application-thing and Google making a space-exploration-application-thing. Microsoft has an operating system market to protect, Google doesn't.
  • themusclehead, on 05/13/2008, -29/+14Hehe do you do cooking for your neighbours? Why will MS make anything for linux.

    Appreciate it, its too good a thing and definitely is going to waste a lot of my time..
    • floort, on 05/13/2008, -20/+10No, but a mac version would be nice. This is an application, not an OS. All Applications should consider being cross platform these days. I have Windows machines and WIndows on my Mac, I.m just sayin...

      O, and yes, I do barbecue for my neighbors... :)
      • Synapse84, on 05/13/2008, -3/+18rofl you make "cross platform" sound easy... like all they have to do is hit "Compile for Mac O/S"...... wrong.... do some cross platform programming first.
        • WhereAmI, on 05/14/2008, -3/+5Little do you know that the newer programs on Linux are getting even easier to port. Took 2 days to get a working alpha of Amarok to run on Windows.

          Also little do you know is that Apple OSX is Unix-based so programs made to run on Unix-like structures such as the Linux Kernel and OSX can ...well run on the Unix-like OS. MythTV.org being a primary example.
          • Buu700, on 05/14/2008, -1/+1"MythTV.org"? I've always called it MythTV, but does it actually technically go by that (similar to OpenOffice.org)?
        • wattersm, on 05/14/2008, -3/+3With the proper libraries it IS that easy, hell, MS could compile it against wine and release a linux binary.
          • bjornski, on 05/14/2008, -2/+4And just why would MS touch WINE or anything to do with it?

            Why should they help their competition? To be "nice"? "Fair"?

            Screw it. You want to run WIndows apps, then run Windows.
          • wattersm, on 05/14/2008, -1/+1I agree, I'm just saying it is possible.
      • bjornski, on 05/13/2008, -4/+18Once all of that "nice to have" Mac software is written to run on Windows, you have a right to complain. Apple doesn't write anything for Windows unless it helps sell their hardware.

        Don't like it? Use one of your BootCamps or Parallels or whatever you keep bragging about. You can run ANYTHING, remember?
  • chriskeyes, on 05/13/2008, -14/+157Reasons why WWT is far better than Google Sky:

    1. Immense data and imagery
    2. Very easy to navigate and visually appealing
    3. More advanced and is a great tool for astronomers and scientists alike
    4. You can connect a telescope to it
    5. You can create and share virtual tours
    6. Not as slow and bulky feeling client

    I looked around at it, and I love it. It's more feature rich, and it's really better than Google Sky. There are some things Google is good at, but I have to say that WWT takes the cake on this one. And as far as I know, Microsoft didn't have to purchase any company to make WWT. Google had to buy Keyhole and Where2 to make Google Earth/Maps, and their not half as good as VE/WWT. This is one of those amazing things that MS does sometimes, and we could wish were done more often.
    • BoonTobias, on 05/13/2008, -96/+15still made by ms, buried
    • sirhomer, on 05/13/2008, -74/+21What makes Google Sky far better then WWT:

      1. It runs on other operating systems besides Windows

      'nuff said

      Applications which aren't cross-platform these days are a sign of either laziness or malice.
      • dig1x, on 05/13/2008, -8/+37That should be relevant to a total of 5% of worldwide Desktop users.
        • hmunkey, on 05/14/2008, -2/+5Less worldwide I think. It's only that high in the West.
        • supermanred, on 05/14/2008, -6/+3The 5% that like an OS that works. Current uptime: 3 months 5 days without a crash or bluescreen.
      • bjornski, on 05/13/2008, -6/+31So all of those Linux apps will run on Windows right? And I can just grab Mac install discs and they'll work?

        Or are you holding one company to a higher standard than it's competition?

        As long as there are proprietary OSs, there will be proprietary software.
        • shadowman99, on 05/14/2008, -11/+7With the correct libraries installed you can run many open source programs originally written for linux under Windows. Sorry to ruin your little hate buzz.
        • WhereAmI, on 05/14/2008, -2/+4This was posted earlier but I am posting it here too.

          Many Linux programs are starting to get more and more cross platform. Took 2 days to get a working alpha of Amarok to run on Windows. It helps that Qt 4 is being made to be cross platform. Microsoft is a huge huge corporation, they can easily afford to make programs cross-platform. Google does it.

          Also little do you know is that Apple OSX is Unix-based so programs made to run on Unix-like structures such as the Linux Kernel and OSX can ...well run on the Unix-like OS. MythTV.org being a primary example.
    • Rocketbird, on 05/14/2008, -14/+5Ooh, for astronomers AND scientists?? :D
    • mulling, on 05/14/2008, -15/+81. Is there some way I can quantify the amount of data and imagery in both? Sounds like you're presenting your guess as fact.
      2. I had problems navigating it, the controls aren't intuitive and the planet rotation controls are buried in a menu so I had to dig around to find it while a nebula was jerking around on my screen.
      3. Ok, cool
      4. Fair enough.
      5. This can be done in Google Earth too.
      6. You kinda lose this point since Google Sky *doesn't force you to install any software at all* and works on any modern web browser.
      • brownr21, on 05/14/2008, -5/+18Um... .NET doesn't count as 'software you have to install'. If you don't already have it, you're retarded.
        • superkendall, on 05/14/2008, -23/+5Or you own a Mac. If you don't own a Mac at this point, then I have to question your own mental stability.
          • iofthestorm, on 05/14/2008, -1/+13If you own a Mac, I have to question the size of your...



            Wallet!
          • MioTheGreat, on 05/14/2008, -2/+7I'm going to have to question your mental ability for such a stupid comment.
          • SolitarySoviet, on 05/14/2008, -2/+3go ***** yourself you elitist *****... there is nothing special about apple.. there are some people like me who could give a ***** how stylish a computer is... function over form... and price matters.
          • AlanSim, on 05/14/2008, -0/+0kudos SS! This anti-MS crap is getting old. How many educational projects and nonprofit apps does Apple develop? Let's not forget the Steve Jobs foundation. Wait, there ain't one. I'd rather have Bill Gates's karma. Besides, my Dell Inspiron laptop looks great, was a lot cheaper than a Macbook, and doesn't overheat, turn brown, etc, etc. Apple fanatics are elitist wankers.
    • manfromfuture, on 05/14/2008, -8/+121. Is there some way I can run it on Linux?
      • Tcasey0478, on 05/14/2008, -8/+7Dual-boot Xp/vista and linux or maaaaaybe... download wine? I dont have linux but I heard about wine from a friend, some things will run and some things wont. http://www.winehq.org/
        • WhereAmI, on 05/14/2008, -8/+2Shut the ***** up and don't answer with idiotic comments like that again.
        • JudgeMonkey, on 05/14/2008, -0/+2ya hear that, Tcasey0478. You'd better do what WhereAmI said. After all, he's a worthless nobody who could die today and it wouldn't make a lick of difference.
      • aeon2012, on 05/14/2008, -3/+2Thanks to andLinux I can run Windows natively but still have all the tools I need to develop on Linux without having to reboot.
      • shadowman99, on 05/14/2008, -2/+5VMWare.
      • WhereAmI, on 05/14/2008, -2/+4Nope.
      • smiley2billion, on 05/14/2008, -0/+5It uses DirectX and .NET 2.0, which is a nightmare to get running inside of Wine, especially with new applications. I'm in XP right now and playing around with this app, it's extremely cool.
        • nailer, on 05/14/2008, -0/+2.net apps can run under Mono, but may require some work from their author. Look at Paint.net for example.
    • paradexes, on 05/14/2008, -14/+9sirhomer had a good point. But I am guessing that MS gang of marketing dugg him down. This is not a cross platform bit of software. What makes it better than google sky? All MS did was copy google. Then they will go on to claim innovation later on for their share holders. Honestly, I would stick with google sky. MS Shills are all over this one digging people down. Not unexpected as this comment will likely also get buried as well. Mac and Linux users are out in the cold again by MS. But then there is still google sky.
      • mephitix, on 05/14/2008, -4/+10"Not unexpected as this comment will likely also get buried as well"

        If you make a stupid comment like this you can expect the result. So i'm guessing Linux is completely cross-platform, huh? I'll be able to fire up all my linux apps on windows and mac os x? Oh oh! or maybe take my mac software and run it on windows and linux! Think outside the box a little, sir, realize you're just a tool that is influenced by masses of fanboys.
        • arcticblue, on 05/14/2008, -2/+4Most of the major Linux apps already have Windows versions available (Pidgin, Gimp, Inkscape, and Evolution just to name a few) and several apps were made to be cross platform from the start (Google Earth, Firefox, Thunderbird, Eclipse). If there isn't a Windows or Mac version available, it wouldn't be hard for someone to create a Windows or Mac version since it is almost all open source and most libraries are already ported to each OS. The same cannot be said for programs of other operating systems (like Windows).

          Sorry, but your argument just doesn't hold up. While you may not be able to take some random Linux program from someone's installation and fire it up on Windows, with a little effort, the freely available source of that program could be used to make a Windows version. That's a whole lot better than coming from Windows where there isn't source code 99% of the time and if it doesn't run in Wine/Crossover, there's almost no chance in hell of it running on anything other than Windows. With Linux programs, at least the opportunity of running it on Windows is there.

          There has been next to no effort from the MS camp in ensuring cross platform compatibility. It has been people from the Linux camp that have tried to pick up MS's slack in this area (Wine libraries for example - this is why Google Earth works in Linux). Granted, MS did try with .NET, but you see where that ended up. Now they have .NET 3 with all kinds of Windows specific libraries that it would be very difficult for those apps to be cross platform.
    • shrimpy1, on 05/14/2008, -19/+6I see all the M$ drones are pouncing to digg this up. 2 major problems already.

      1) Installer doesn't work. Had to extract it manually and install the msi
      2) Where the f*ck are all the stars? Damn thing doesn;t work.

      Quit fooling yourselves, tool sucks and you are not google. This program has probably destroyed 50M of M$ shareholder wealth.
      • ComradeGoby, on 05/14/2008, -1/+3Oh noes! Not the shareholders!
      • scy1192, on 05/14/2008, -0/+5it actually installed fine and is working right away, for me.
    • clearwaterlab, on 05/14/2008, -1/+6Can anyone tell me what this is: http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e173/clearwaterl ...

      It confuses the bejesus out of me.
      • dtfinch, on 05/14/2008, -0/+14That's what it looks like when a reflective telescope isn't in perfect focus. A point of light turns into an image of the inside workings of the telescope. And then they overlayed that blurry photo of one star over a photo of that area.
      • burnerz, on 05/14/2008, -1/+2Same, I was wondering what that was :s
      • tama00, on 05/14/2008, -0/+1its a crack in the mirror
      • BoonTobias, on 05/14/2008, -0/+3that's my ship
      • Rabiki, on 05/22/2008, -0/+0Looks like the death star....

        Help me Obwan...you're my only hope.
    • dtfinch, on 05/14/2008, -13/+8Microsoft employee with friends burying every comment that disagrees.
      • dtfinch, on 05/14/2008, -6/+2My mistake. Chriskeyes, sammykeyes, quikboy, plainandsimple, and rossfly are one person.
      • estvir, on 05/14/2008, -5/+6Prove he's wrong or shut up with your petty conspiracy stories.
        • WhereAmI, on 05/14/2008, -2/+2Where's wageslaven? I'm sure he would love to Digg you up.
    • drlha, on 05/14/2008, -6/+7Might be great, but as an Astrophysicist myself I can tell you that not many of us will use it because we don't use Windows. Almost all astronomy software runs under Unix variants, and most people in my area of work use Linux and/or Macs.
      • tama00, on 05/14/2008, -2/+1it uses flash anyways. It could so easily run on mac or linux minus the GUI, which is written in .NET the worst _slowest_ framework ever created. Stellarium uses OpenGL (way more effective than flash) and tracks wayy more stars with the included star packs which come in at 700MB in total, but the only a few pictures are real.
        • Escamillo, on 05/18/2008, -0/+1You made so many incorrect statements in your post that I don't even know where to begin. But for starters, WWT does NOT use Flash. It uses DirectX (I assume via the Managed DirectX .NET libs).
      • Escamillo, on 05/18/2008, -0/+1If astronomers only use Linux and Mac, why are there so many ASCOM enabled telescopes around (ASCOM only works with Windows)? Obviously, SOMEBODY is doing astronomy using Windows. Maybe you should get out more.
    • Fockzhound, on 05/14/2008, -5/+3You might as well just marry it then bro. This smells like M$ gorilla marketing tactics.
  • rossfly, on 05/13/2008, -6/+58I just installed it, and it's actually pretty sweet. Slow in some areas (but it is a spring BETA), but overall it's pretty cool. Far better than most freeware, and it has tons of data and imagery with it.

    It's a great way to share data from other sources, and it's pretty darn simple to use. Kudos to MS.
  • Urgo, on 05/13/2008, -3/+4I don't know if anyone else had this problem or will, but when I ran the installer it tried to install cygwin. If this happens to you, just extract the setupwwt.exe file and run WWTSetup.msi from inside of it, and that will install it.
    • justice2003, on 05/14/2008, -5/+4for some reason the installer tried to install msn messenger on my computer.
    • westgate1, on 05/14/2008, -0/+1It tries to run a setup.exe in the file path you download setupwwt.exe to, that could explain why its trying to install (or in my case remove) programs on your system! So save to a new folder and open
  • diggishal, on 05/13/2008, -4/+19way cool :)
    • sockpuppets, on 05/14/2008, -0/+8I can see my home planet from here.
    • specialK16, on 05/14/2008, -0/+1Indeed! This is the kind of software I want to see from Microsoft and the kind of software I would pay for. (And the kind of software I would like to develop in the next few years).
  • jpetrides, on 05/13/2008, -11/+17why can't I see any stars?? I only see blank blackness and some territory lines.
  • spect3r, on 05/13/2008, -22/+11On first impression, I think I still prefer google sky... it seems to be alot larger; I get this feeling I'm in a giant panoramic bubble in WWT...
  • sirhomer, on 05/13/2008, -30/+42I'd like to mention the fact that there is another program called Celestia that blows both Google Earth's Sky feature and Microsoft's imitation out of the water. Celestia makes both programs look cheap and tacky. In fact, both programs are very limited in the fact that they view space as a 2D surface. Celestia however, allows literally fly through space and view objects from three dimensions. It's a really cool program that I've been following for many years (it's way older then Google or Microsoft's software). It's even been developed and used the likes of NASA and the ESA. It's also cross-platform. Last but not least, Celestia is free software licensed under the GNU General Public License.

    If you are using Debian or a Debian-based operating system, you can get Celestia by installing the "celestia-gnome" package (if you are a Gnome user), or "celestia-kde" (if you use KDE). Yum-based systems have similar packages.
    • LeeMaple, on 05/13/2008, -11/+19Just installed it and it appears to be very chunky and not very user friendly...
      • brownr21, on 05/14/2008, -7/+24It's GNU, of course it isn't user friendly.
      • shadowman99, on 05/14/2008, -12/+7Ah yes. You should judge all software immediately after installing it.
        You're right. You should give up. You'll never learn how to unleash Celestia's coolness.
        Seriously. You should go use the MS program. All of us Celestia fans will get along just fine with our unfriendly program, enjoying awesome ***** you're too lazy to find.
        Buh-bye
        • LeeMaple, on 05/14/2008, -3/+9Hey it might be the coolest thing I've ever seen, but, like the internet, when I go to a web site that wont load in 10 seconds, I go to another one.. If a person that has worked in IT for 15 years can't easy navigate around it in the first minute of use, and it.. sttttutt..ers.. lllli...ke... a re...ttttar...ddded... stttt..ep ch..ildddd.. it's crap and it's not properly built.. Try again fanboy...
    • bjornski, on 05/14/2008, -1/+5That looks pretty, downloading now.
    • Smegzor, on 05/14/2008, -2/+3I prefer Stellarium over Celestia.
    • RoyalShrubber, on 05/14/2008, -0/+5I must point out that the two applications have entirely different purposes. While Celestia has its uses it also has limitations. Celestia is about cataloging stars, the flaw is you can't map them all - celestia has only 210 million stars - milky way has 300 billion, whole universe 7*10^22 - google sky/WTT only needs raw bitmaps which is easy to add. Also I wonder whether Celestia can represent dust structures accurately...
    • Feej, on 05/14/2008, -1/+1Does it run on Windows / Mac???
      /sarcasm
    • 1807, on 05/14/2008, -0/+2Why do people think it's so great when something is deveolped by Nasa? Is that supposed to impress me? You know what else is developed by Nasa? Temperpedic mattresses lol.
    • Escamillo, on 05/18/2008, -0/+1Oooooh, it's GPL!!! Well, that's just super!!

      (As if any normal user would give a *****.)

      Academic astrophysicists are giving WWT high praise, saying that there's never been anything like it. Celestia may serve a purpose, but it's not WWT's purpose.
  • acitta, on 05/13/2008, -15/+42Celestia: http://www.shatters.net/celestia/
    Stellarium: http://www.stellarium.org/
    • BitBurner, on 05/13/2008, -2/+8I use stellarium. I use it in night(red) mode on my laptop when i want to find something in the sky with my basic telescope. Really good FOSS
    • triggerfinger, on 05/14/2008, -0/+2I use Stellarium and Celestia and am now checking out Worldwide Telescope which is looks pretty cool.
    • failsafex, on 05/14/2008, -2/+12Neither provides actual imagery, just simulations.

      WWT provides actual images taken from telescopes along with xray, infrared and other sources.
    • lolwutpear, on 05/14/2008, -1/+0Dugg for mentioning the exact two things I came here to mention. And I'll throw Starry Night into the mix while we're at it. It may not be free, but who pays for software any more?
  • MaxMWood, on 05/13/2008, -5/+25Basically the "Experience It" button means Download.
    • dig1x, on 05/13/2008, -4/+10Or, you know, the button that says "Download" on the top right will "Download"...

      But thanks for the nitpicking.
    • bjornski, on 05/14/2008, -3/+4I don't know whether to laugh or cry....
    • etx313, on 05/14/2008, -1/+4No dude, You don't download it -- ok. You experience it. I just experienced it and I ***** my mind. Press that button I dare you.
  • jamessavik, on 05/13/2008, -4/+6I claim NGC1300
  • Chunken, on 05/13/2008, -22/+15Let me guess, it doesn't work in linux?
  • smoothmann, on 05/13/2008, -25/+7Lame
  • mastication, on 05/13/2008, -13/+3I CAN SEE YOU.
  • ljsmithx, on 05/13/2008, -16/+37Its funny they use Flash instead of Silverlight.
    • Sushubh, on 05/14/2008, -2/+8thought the same...
    • enterneo, on 05/14/2008, -0/+1it would help me actually see the content on the website, before i reboot to windows and install
    • carlj133, on 05/14/2008, -0/+2No it's not, silverlight is still in beta so until their fully finished with it there's no reason to use it and limit potential users.
      • Sushubh, on 05/15/2008, -0/+2silverlight beta? i thought they were reaching version 2 now... a lot of high profile sites are using SL as they are in a deal with MS now.
    • amit9, on 05/16/2008, -0/+0Thought the same... This was an excellent opportunity to promote Silverlight and contribute to building its installed base but they didnt want to take the risk, i guess. I was dissapointed.
  • grayiscolorful, on 05/13/2008, -30/+8dugg down because there's no linux client
  • cutlerchris, on 05/13/2008, -24/+10"Loading 99%" on my download for the last 5 minutes. Microsoft at its best.
  • 4DFX, on 05/13/2008, -26/+5zomgz ms iz doing sky appz and it will be better than googlez fapfapfap OGC OGC
    • twiztidsinz, on 05/13/2008, -7/+8zumgz i uz linux fapfapfap OGC OGC OGC fapfapfap Linus Torvalds fapfapfap
      • 4DFX, on 05/14/2008, -9/+3Oh man, your comeback was so original!
        Just like microsoft! [copy&paste]
        • twiztidsinz, on 05/14/2008, -4/+6Sorry... I couldn't lower myself to that level of stupidity if I tried so using your expertly retarded comment was the only response I could manage.
          • 4DFX, on 05/14/2008, -9/+1You need to install your sarcasm detection drivers.
  • dig1x, on 05/13/2008, -6/+29Dare I say that this new application is stellar?
  • yoda17, on 05/13/2008, -4/+47My God, it's full of stars.
    • uabigd, on 05/13/2008, -2/+4I wish I didn't know what you were talking about.
      • cardinalfox, on 05/14/2008, -0/+3as do I...
        • dawnraid101, on 05/14/2008, -0/+1And I.
        • mstump, on 05/14/2008, -0/+1I'm glad to know, but embarrassed how often I say that line to myself. Maybe I shouldn't have shared that with you...
  • justinx0r, on 05/13/2008, -2/+16I just downloaded this and did the guided tour feature in it about black holes. I'm not sure if Google Sky does this, but it's really cool. I did the one about black holes and it gave you the history of black holes, the scientists who predicted them, how they proved their existance, etc. using WWT to showcase pictures of where black holes were located.
    • justinx0r, on 05/14/2008, -0/+12Wow, I said black holes a lot in that post.
  • LeeMaple, on 05/13/2008, -1/+4053 posts and not one Uranus joke... For shame...
    • uabigd, on 05/14/2008, -2/+28Because we've all already seen Uranus.
  • ProDevStudio, on 05/14/2008, -8/+1I take when it says "explore the heavens" it mean the visible sky either by naked eye or using an astronomical instruments.
    Because "no one has seen the havens, except a few and these people are no longer alive on this planet." -- don't be deceived by it.
  • Zippo, on 05/14/2008, -15/+7I'll stick with Stellarium, which has a Mac, Windows, and Linux client.
  • shrimpy1, on 05/14/2008, -31/+7Another unusable piece of crap from M$. Don't waste your time.
    • tedzzzk, on 05/14/2008, -6/+17I can't dig you down enough.
      I hate you.
      • wigren, on 05/14/2008, -1/+1Seriously? Hate? I would hate to see what you do when you're personally insulted.
    • shrimpy1, on 05/14/2008, -15/+5No stars. Just blank black space. That is not crap? You must work for M$.

      I can't say this enough. Same M$ crapware.
  • Deodrus, on 05/14/2008, -5/+23Hooray for competition ! Google, time to step up your game. ;-)

    Step 1 : Google makes Google Sky.
    Step 2 : Microsoft makes WorldWide Telescope.
    Step 3 : ???
    Step 4 : Users Profit !!
  • hazimsak, on 05/14/2008, -16/+11We need a mac version, pleeeeeeeaaaaaaase.
    • superkendall, on 05/14/2008, -3/+7Or you could just get Stellarium.
  • Rocketbird, on 05/14/2008, -0/+3This is really cool. I find it odd though that I can get up really close on a far-away star, but can't even see Pluto :P
    Edit: I see it, but it's a pretty crappy picture : We really don't have any good pics of Pluto??
    • Sabin, on 05/14/2008, -0/+2Pluto is very small, very far away and no spacecraft has ever done a fly-by of the planet(oid).
      • jabelar, on 05/14/2008, -0/+1Alpha Centauri is much farther away and we've also never done a fly-by.
        • tiffany98121, on 05/14/2008, -0/+1and alpha centauri is way bigger and way brighter than pluto
      • watership, on 05/14/2008, -0/+1Pluto doesn't actually emit light.. like.. A STAR like Alpha Centauri.
    • anononon, on 05/14/2008, -0/+4Here ya go
      http://tinyurl.com/6mncw9
    • Dealjobber, on 05/14/2008, -0/+0Wait until 2015. Then we'll see it up close.
  • jcmatese, on 05/14/2008, -13/+3I was really looking forward to this software. Sad to see that it only runs on Windows. Guess I'll continue using Google Sky and Celestia, instead. If there was a "Bury - Disappointing" option, that would be my choice.
    • wattersm, on 05/14/2008, -3/+2Did you expect anything else from Microsoft?
      • jcmatese, on 05/14/2008, -0/+3Given that they were touting this as an educational project, and similar/competitive software IS cross-platform, I guess I did have inflated expectations...
        ... and what is with the digging down of comments warning other users about platform requirements?
  • rameznabel, on 05/14/2008, -7/+5is that page suppose to be made with silverlight . why MS use flash ???
  • ThePeacemaker02, on 05/14/2008, -17/+4Looks like we need a buried for no Mac support button.
    • SniperGX1, on 05/14/2008, -1/+19Maybe steer clear of stories in All > Technology > Microsoft then?
  • insanebrain, on 05/14/2008, -8/+2stuck at 93 % . .wtf ?
  • break99, on 05/14/2008, -2/+7actually very sweet, user friendly too.
    Helps take things into perspective seeing us as we're really are: a very small planet in an ordinary solar system of a very ordinary galaxy among hundreds of billions galaxies (that we know of)...
  • rameznabel, on 05/14/2008, -11/+6is that page suppose to be made with silverlight . why MS use flash ???
  • Chronchitis, on 05/14/2008, -7/+3WINE?
  • shrimpy1, on 05/14/2008, -18/+5M$ must have sent an internal memo about it, cause their drones are out in full force commenting and digging this.
    • justinx0r, on 05/14/2008, -3/+13Can you just shut the ***** up?
    • mostlysane, on 05/14/2008, -8/+2yeh not toooooooo obvious, is it
      keep up the good work, you arrogant, clueless ms tools - rumor has it that hillary's campaign is looking for some new recruits and you guys are such a perfect match :)
    • jhaks, on 05/14/2008, -1/+1Damn. I hate assholes and douches so much and shrimpy and mostlysane are the poster boys. Can we punch people in the face through the internet yet?
  • CouchTomato, on 05/14/2008, -0/+12Now all I need is a dome-shaped monitor as my ceiling...
    • shamittomar, on 05/14/2008, -0/+1When you have got it, send me one too.
  • SicKiller, on 05/14/2008, -11/+5Hey, look at that!

    I found my penis!
  • scy1192, on 05/14/2008, -9/+3anyone notice the website is running on Adobe Flash and not Silverlight?
    edit: guess I'm not the first
  • sathia, on 05/14/2008, -2/+7for all those complaining about no linux client, just use vmware and stop complaining. it works flawlessly.
  • mrbutter, on 05/14/2008, -1/+2I installed ,NET 3.0 through the Windows SDK on Vista but it keeps popping up when I try to install. ahhh :(
  • CySailor, on 05/14/2008, -0/+3Awesome! Is there a way to have it show what the sky looks like where you are at night? It'd love to impress friends by being able to point out constellations.
  • VVCephei, on 05/14/2008, -5/+1Basically, all the space pictures we've already seen on front page, stuffed together in a program.
  • Kalakov, on 05/14/2008, -2/+2Anyone found any Aliens yet ?
  • VVCephei, on 05/14/2008, -1/+8Alright, now I'm a pessimist, but this thing is just amazing. Love it.
  • cslawren, on 05/14/2008, -6/+1Anyone else notice that they used Flash instead of their own Silverlight technology for the website?
  • elmimmo, on 05/14/2008, -8/+3Gosh… I went in to have a peek, and all I get to see is a website with bloody sound that I cannot turn off (at least at first sight), with dozens of people I care nothing about talking humbag, AND NOT A FRIGGING SCREENSHOT!

    Gimme screenshots! Gimme video tours!!!!! (and ditch the crappy PR junk).

    The name is just lame, BTW. What is the key feature? Call it just Microsoft Telescope, for christ's sake.
    Zero comments on the software itself, I know, since I will be installing to test it out as soon as I get to REALLY be explained what it is about before hitting the "download" button.

    If the site was not developed by Telescope's dev team, the latter should kick the former's balls really hard.
  • acegi, on 05/14/2008, -9/+5google still gets the props because if it wasn't for google making freeware of google earth and sky, ms would have never made theirs available for free.
    • etx313, on 05/14/2008, -2/+7That's great... move along.
    • jhaks, on 05/14/2008, -1/+1Like you would know the strategies of multi-billion dollar companies.
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