Tweet to the Stars with Google Maps

Earthtwit is a very cool mashup of the Google Earth plugin and Twitter. The application allows you to browse Google Earth and post an update to Twitter with a link to any location in Google Earth. When your followers on Twitter click on the short URL of the view you submitted they will be taken to the view in the Google Earth plugin.

Earthtwit has now added the option to view Google Sky, Google's map of the night sky. This means that you can now Tweet a link to your favourite images of the stars. If you don't use Twitter you can just grab the URL of a view and share that with you friends via e-mail, on Facebook or on your own website.

Star Counts with Google Maps

Sterrentelling is a Dutch star count map. The map shows the result of users' star counts.

Star counts are a good way to measure light pollution at different locations. Sterrentelling provides seven different star maps with different numbers of stars on each map. Users have to choose which map best reflects the night sky at their location.

The results of user star counts are then added to the Sterrentelling Google Map. The color of the star map markers reflects the number of stars visible at that location and it is also possible to click on each marker to view the result of the star count.

The Universe in Motion

Google Sky & Chromeless Videos

We don't nearly see enough maps created with the amazing Google Sky. Here is my latest effort, and it's pretty impressive, even if I do say so myself.

This Sky Map overlays a number of celestial animations on top of Google Sky. I've used the YouTube API to show the videos in a chromeless player. The effect is pretty cool, creating an almost seamless overlay of the video on the map.

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Where Will You Watch the Lunar Eclipse?

Event Map: Where Will You Be?

NASA have created a Google Map so that you can share where you will be watching tonight's total lunar eclipse. NASA hopes to build a community of moon-gazers across the country by everyone sharing their lunar eclipse viewing spots, comments and photos.

You can add yourself to the moon-gazing map by entering your 10-digit cell phone number on the NASA website. NASA will then text you with tips and resources for viewing the eclipse. You can then text NASA your zip code and they will add you to the map.

Remember you can also tune into NASA's live video feed of the eclipse and view a simulation of the eclipse on the Google Earth browser with HeyWhatsThat's Event Map: Where Will You Be?

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The Lunar Eclipse Simulator

HeyWhatsThat: Eclipses

Early in the morning of December the 21st, on the winter solstice, there will be a total lunar eclipse. If you live in North America you should have great views of the eclipse. If you live in Western Europe you should be able to see the beginning of the eclipse.

HeyWhatsThat: Eclipses uses the Google Earth plug-in to simulate solar and lunar eclipses. Using Eclipses you can watch a simulation of the lunar eclipse from your location. Use the timeline beneath the Google Earth plug-in to view the eclipse at different times during the night.

If you live in the southern hemisphere you can enjoy the summer solstice. However you can also tune into NASA's live video feed of the eclipse.

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The Killer App for your Smart Phone

SightSpaceStation

SightSpaceStation, the amazing satellite tracking website that allows anyone to track satellites in Google Street View, is now also available for the iPhone, iPad, iTouch and Android phones.

The app uses augmented reality and Google Maps to show the real-time location of orbiting satellites. The app is also packed full of other interesting features (view the video above).

If you get a smart phone for Christmas and you want to show off to your friends then get the SightSpaceStation app. In my opinion it is one of the killer apps for Android and iPhones.

iTunes Link

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How to View the Perseid Meteor Shower

Hey, what's that? - Advanced Planisphere

If you can't wait for tonight's Perseid meteor shower you might want to download a planisphere from Hey, what's that? in preparation. The advanced planisphere lets you overlay the horizon for your exact location on the night sky in Google Earth. It also lets you view the positions of the Sun, Moon and planets.

To create an advanced planisphere takes two steps. First you have to create your panorama at Hey, what's that?. All this involves is you clicking on your location on Google Maps. Once you have created your horizon panorama you can then add it to the Advanced Planisphere.

There are a number of options for you planisphere. I chose the option that creates an animation of the sky at one hour intervals for a full day. I chose this option so that I can see when the moon sets. Because we have a waxing moon the Perseid meteor shower should be very visible.

Once you have created your planisphere you can then view it in Google Earth. After you have opened the planisphere in Google Earth you might want to also turn on the constellations layer under Backyard Astronomy. The meteors are called Perseids because they appear to fly out of the constellation Perseus. If you have the constellations turned on you can easily find where Perseus is in relation to your location.

Here's hoping for a cloudless night.

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Animated Google Sky

Eagle Nebula Scroll

Having played around with static Street View images to create an animated side view of Oxford Street in London I wondered if it was possible to do something similar with static map tiles from Google Sky.

It is.

Here's an animated marquee of the Eagle Nebula. In itself it probably doesn't have many practical applications but the static images could be useful for anyone wanting to illustrate an astronomy article on the internet.

The image illustrating this post is itself a static Google Sky map tile.

Perhaps Google should create a static API for Google Sky as they have for Google Maps.

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View the Lunar Eclipse with Google Maps

HeyWhatsThat Eclipse Simulator
Tonight's partial lunar eclipse is best seen from the Pacific in the middle of the night or in the western U.S. just before dawn. The upcoming July 11th total solar eclipse will be seen to best advantage in the South Pacific.

I only know this because of HeyWhatsThat's latest Eclipse Simulator. Here's a video of the simulator in action showing the July 11th solar eclipse,



The simulation uses two instances of the Google Earth plug-in, one showing the Earth and the other the sky. You set your location by clicking on the Earth, set the time by clicking on the green timeline, and start an animation by clicking on the timeline's arrow. Use the drop-down menu on the bottom right to view other eclipses.

(Note that the timeline shows your computer's local time, not the time at the chosen viewer location.)

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