Can WorldWide Telescope Help View Gas Clouds, Star Systems, and Galaxies Online?

[leroyjenkens]

I have a project due where I need to observe a gas cloud, a star system, and a galaxy, and I have to write about what I see. It's due next week and since it's going to be cloudy so I won't be able to use the observatory, so I need another way to view them. Has anyone tried any programs that basically makes use of a really good telescope and would allow me to do what I need to do for this project?
Thanks.

 

[Drakkith]

To be clear, your project requires you to physically look through a telescope at something? You can't just look at a picture?

 

[leroyjenkens]

To be clear, your project requires you to physically look through a telescope at something? You can't just look at a picture?

Since I'm not able to use a real telescope, I wanted to try to replicate it as much as possible, since I have to write about how I viewed the object. And I kinda wanted to just search around the sky and find something. If I was to use a picture, I'd be finding what I searched for instead of searching and finding whatever I find. Of course, that is if a program like that is available.

 

[Drakkith]

You're better off just finding a picture. For one thing, just scanning around the sky will net you pretty much nothing. Between the extremely narrow field of view, intrinsic faintness of most objects, and battling light pollution you're pretty much not going to find anything except a bunch of stars. Visual oberving is... underwhelming to those of us who have grown up since the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope and the rise of digital imaging.

 

[ladychapel]

Maybe something in this article is what you're looking for?
www.universetoday.com/52114/online-telescope/
by Tammy Plotner - in 428 Google+ circles
Jan 25, 2010 - Have you ever wondered what it would be like to look through a telescope, but don't have one? Are you curious if there is such a thing as an ...

 

[ebos]

I'd go here and look around. There are several diferent projects on the go right now.
http://www.diskdetective.org/
You could even decide to volunteer!

 

[ebos]

or here
http://radio.galaxyzoo.org/

 

[ViperSRT3g]

Nothing fancy, but here's Google's version of maps, except for the sky!

https://www.google.com/sky/

 

[sym666]

Hi I found this software quite nice: http://www.worldwidetelescope.org/

It's a client, so you have to download and install it. It offers the possibility to look at the sky at different wavelenghts, and you can also make videos. These kind of presentation are uploadable, so you can enjoy the ones made by others, which are categorized by subject.

Hope it helps, bye.