Putting Microsoft`s Worldwide Telescope Under a Lens - A Guided Tour
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Ultimately, the most talked about feature of Worldwide Telescope is the Guided Tours. Basically they are tours of the Worldwide Telescope universe given by everyone from experts to average users and accompanied by music, text, and/or voice-overs (there is one tour done by a six-year-old boy taking you to the Ring Nebula). Right now, there are around 30 tours available, discussing everything from how to use the software to different celestial phenomena.
(Ring Nebula)
There is even a way for you to make your own tour. Under the "Learning WWT" section, there is an option that teaches you how to create your own tour across space and time. For example, you could make a tour of the next lunar eclipse. All you need to do is go under the "Guided Tours" section and select "Create New Tour." From there you put in your basic tour information, such as the author, a description, the experience level (beginner, intermediate, or advanced), and the taxonomy. Then you add slides (screen shots) to your slide show. The more creative options include adding text, images, and sound via upload widgets. Finally, you can share your tour with other users by clicking "Submit Tour for Publication" under the "Guided Tours" tab.
The Worldwide Telescope is definitely a breakthrough in data sharing. The world now has access to the most advanced astronomical data out there, but it's not just useful to people curious about space. There is also a professional version being developed with the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. And, of course, improvements are being made to the current version as we speak. For example, they are expected to take a page from Google Sky by allowing users to use application programming interfaces (APIs) to put models of the data they put on Worldwide Telescope onto their own sites. Nevertheless, it is already an invaluable tool for all those eager to learn.
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