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Explore Galaxy With New Google App

Star Droid helps cellphone astronomers with GPS, maps, tags

By Jess Kilby,  Newser User

Posted May 11, 2009 10:03 AM CDT
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(Newser) – Budding astronomers will soon have a new cell-phone tool that spots the stars they’re looking for, the Telegraph reports. Google’s Star Droid helps stargazers navigate the night sky using GPS technology that cross-references the user’s position with existing space maps, and adds identifying tags to the heavenly bodies that can be seen through the phone’s viewfinder. No release date has been announced.

The image made May 4, 2009, by the Hubble Space Telescope's Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 is of the planetary nebula known as Kohoutek 4-55.
The image made May 4, 2009, by the Hubble Space Telescope's Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 is of the planetary nebula known as Kohoutek 4-55.   (NASA)
In this composite image, the Hubble Space Telescope looks the farthest we can into the universe, capturing light from 13 billion years ago, when the universe was only 700 million years old.
In this composite image, the Hubble Space Telescope looks the farthest we can into the universe, capturing light from 13 billion years ago, when the universe was only 700 million years old.   (NASA)
This 2006 composite image shows thousands of stars forming in the cloud of gas and dust known as the Orion nebula, as viewed by the Hubble Space Telescope.
This 2006 composite image shows thousands of stars forming in the cloud of gas and dust known as the Orion nebula, as viewed by the Hubble Space Telescope.   (NASA)
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It will be interesting to see how much the camera on the phones will be able to pick up. The night sky is pretty crowded.
- Carolin Crawford, of Cambridge University's institute of astronomy

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COMMENTS
Showing 2 of 2 comments
Altoecko
May 12, 2009 1:59 AM CDT
This IS fantastic.
Circusdog
May 11, 2009 4:24 AM CDT
This will great when you're driving!

 
astronomy • Google • cell phones • constellations • night sky • light pollution • mobile phones • Star Droid • Jay-ZTV • Droid

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