WorldWide Telescope
Tutorials
Learning Activities
Keep your students excited and engaged in astronomy, physics, general science, and more by taking detailed 3D tours of the night sky right from your classroom. With Microsoft WorldWide Telescope, you can explore outer space in detail, studying the sky in a way that has never before been possible without powerful ground and space telescopes. Students of all ages will feel empowered to explore and understand the cosmos using WorldWide Telescope's simple and powerful user interface.
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Turn your computer into the world's most powerful telescope
Microsoft WorldWide Telescope is a visualization software environment that enables your computer to function as a virtual telescope. It blends terabytes of images, information, and stories from multiple sources into a seamless, immersive, rich media experience delivered over the Internet. From web to desktop to full dome planetarium, WorldWide Telescope enables you to explore the universe, bringing together imagery from the best ground and space-based telescopes in the world and combining it with 3D navigation.
Seamless panning and zooming across the night sky blends terabytes of images and data from multiple sources, allowing teachers and students to:
- Create guided tours of the universe for class and individual assignments
- View the entire solar system in 3D with light and shadows created from the sun
- Explore the Earth and Mars in incredible detail
- Share videos of the tours with other students or colleagues
- Experience narrated guided tours from astronomers and educators featuring interesting places in the sky
System requirements:
- Microsoft® XP SP2 (minimum), Windows® Vista®, or Windows® 7 (recommended)
- PC with Intel Core 2 Duo processor with 2 gigahertz (GHz) or faster, recommended
- 1 gigabyte (GB) of RAM; 2 GB RAM recommended
- 3D accelerated card with 128 megabytes (MB) RAM; discrete graphics card with dedicated 256-MB VRAM recommended for higher performance
- 1 GB of available hard disk space; 10 GB recommended for off-line features and higher performance browsing
- XGA (1024 x 768) or higher resolution monitor
- Microsoft Mouse or compatible pointing and scrolling device
- Microsoft® DirectX® version 9.0c and .NET Framework 2.0
- Required for some features; Internet connection at 56 Kbps or higher through either an Internet service provider (ISP) or a network. Separate charges may apply.
Resources
WorldWide Telescope home page
Visit the WorldWide Telescope website, and see how you can pan the sky with the world’s most powerful telescope.
Middle school curriculum materials
Developed material in the form of curriculum guides, lesson plans, and additional resources to assist educators and students launching into an exploration of the universe through the lens of the WorldWide Telescope.
High school curriculum materials
Developed material in the form of curriculum guides, lesson plans, and additional resources to assist educators and students launching into an exploration of the universe through the lens of the WorldWide Telescope.
Ambassadors Program
The Worldwide Telescope Ambassadors Program recruits astronomically-literate volunteers, including retired scientists and engineers to be trained as experts.
An educator's tour of WorldWide Telescope
Educator Lisa Dettloff uses the WorldWide Telescope to take students and educators on a tour through the galaxy.
Worldwide Telescope: The universe at your fingertips
Engaging article on the Microsoft Scientific Community site celebrating the official release of WorldWide Telescope, with an extensive set of resources for scientists, educators, and the interested public.
Video: Worldwide Telescope user experience
Scientists describe how easy the WorldWide Telescope user interface is for a unique yet highly sophisticated high technology tool.