Google has made 3D maps of the Earth, moon and Mars. Now it is time for the universe.
Google has struck a partnership with scientists building a huge sky-scanning telescope, with hopes of helping the public access digital footage of asteroids, supernovas and distant galaxies, media reported on Saturday.
The 8.4-meter Large Synoptic Survey Telescope, or LSST, is expected to begin surveying the sky in 2013, from a mountaintop in Chile. Its goal is to continuously scan space, taking a series of 15-second exposures that allow it to cover the sky every three nights.
Officials said the telescope will open “a movie-like window” on nearby asteroids and far-off exploding stars, and help explore the mysterious “dark energy” believed to fuel the universe’s expansion.
They also said Google’s technical expertise and vast data processing capacity will be an invaluable help, even for a project that has access to some of the United States’ leading research institutions.
Google’s stature should also bring the project more attention, which could be crucial as the 350 million U.S. dollar telescope competes for public and private money.