Google stargazing with Sky Map app

by Dan Leahul, revolutionmagazine.com 13-May-09, 14:30

LONDON - Google has released a star mapping tool for Android users, where by simply pointing their mobile phones at the night sky, Google Sky Map gives a detailed map, explaining what stars, planets and constellations the user is looking at.

The app also allows users to search for stars and planets by name and the phone displays an arrow telling how to move to face the object.

The app uses data already included on Android phones, including its internal compass, accelerometer, GPS and time, to work out how the stars are aligned according to the users position.

Google Sky Map also displays stars that are not visible on a cloudy night or during the day, even on the other side of the globe, meaning "you can even use Sky Map to work out that the Southern Cross is currently somewhere beneath your right foot".

Google Sky Map is a free app from the Android Marketplace with little data requirements.

Google said: "There are only a few planets in our solar system, and 88 recognized constellations in our night sky - but more surprisingly, there are only some 6,000 to 9,000 stars that are visible from the Earth witch the naked eye, even under the best viewing conditions. And apart from the occasional supernova once every few centuries, star data is pretty stable.

"This meant that we could fit all of Sky Map's core data into a tiny 60K, all of which ships freely with the application and might never need a single update in the lifetime of your phone."