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WorldWide Telescope 5.5 is the latest version of WorldWide Telescope (WWT). WWT 5.5 is the first Open Source release of WWT. This feature-rich application is now available to everyone as a free download.

The WorldWide Telescope (WWT) is a visualization environment that enables your computer to function as a virtual telescope—bringing together imagery from the world’s best ground- and space-based telescopes for the exploration of the universe. WWT blends terabytes of images, information, and stories from multiple sources into a seamless, immersive, rich media experience. Explorers of all ages will feel empowered to explore and understand the cosmos using WWT’s simple and powerful user interface.

The mission of the WorldWide Telescope is twofold:

To aggregate scientific data from major telescopes, observatories, and institutions and make temporal and multi-spectral studies available through a single, cohesive Internet–based portal
To stimulate interest in science among younger generations, providing a compelling base for teaching astronomy, scientific discovery, and computational science

Microsoft Research has dedicated WorldWide Telescope to the memory of Jim Gray, releasing it as a free resource to the astronomy and education communities with the hope that it will inspire and empower people to explore and understand the universe like never before.

Microsoft WorldWide Telescope is an application designed for exploring the universe, including planets and constellations. It can be used by users of all ages.

The interface is modern and attractive, and includes an intuitive navigational system. You can move around using the mouse cursor, zoom in and out, rotate and tilt the view. Xbox 360 controllers are supported as well.

WorldWide Telescope 5 Features:

From web to desktop to full-dome planetarium, WorldWide Telescope (WWT) 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. With WWT, you can experience narrated guided tours from astronomers and educators featuring interesting features in the sky. You can research and import your own data and visualize it, then create a tour to share with others.

Navigate seamlessly through 3D spherical environments: the Sky, Planets and our Solar System
Access to hundreds of terabytes of sky, earth and planet data
View, create, and edit guided tours
Experience the 3D Solar System view with moon orbits, asteroids, and more
Access billions of objects in a web-based astronomical catalog
Use touch controls for touch-screen navigation
Travel 2,000 years forwards and backwards in time

WorldWide Telescope 5.5 is the latest version and is already in production use in some of the world’s premiere planetariums. This feature-rich application is now available to everyone for download, at no cost.