Google Earth & More

If you haven't seen Google Earth yet, now is a good time to take a look. Google Earth lets you zoom in on any place in the world, viewing satellite images, maps, terrains, and 3D buildings. That's just the standard package. Individuals can now also create their own maps and make them available for others to use in Google Earth. Here are a few examples:

• Real-time Earthquake Data shows recent earthquakes on the map with links to data about the earthquakes. View by time line, severity, etc.
• Natural Hazards shows significant earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanic eruptions. The real neat part about this is that you can view known events all the way to 2000 BC.
• Drilling in Alaska gives a visual story on the current political/environmental struggle in Alaska oil drilling. The map shows where current oil wells are, the protected territory, and the habitats of various herds of animals.

Google Earth also now includes a Sky view which lets you view the night sky from the Hubble Space Telescope. This lets you see star locations and information, planetary orbits, constellations, etc. Just click the "sky" icon in the top menu to switch views.