View Chandra in Google Sky online

(March 13, 2008) Google Sky lets you tour Chandra images online. Just like in Google Maps you can pan, zoom and search. Take a tour of the Chandra layers and try adjusting the transparency to see how the images fit into the optical map underneath. View such famous objects as the Sombrero galaxy, the Eagle Nebula, Eta Carinae and the Crab Nebula in X-ray and optical light.

Sky in Google Earth

Explore the Universe from your computer using Sky in Google Earth. The latest version of Sky in Google Earth, released on January 9, 2008, now contains X-ray images from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory. The addition of Chandra as a default layer in Sky in Google Earth provides scientists, students, and amateur stargazers new opportunities to explore the Universe across the electromagnetic spectrum.

To access Sky, users need only click "Switch to Sky" from the "view" drop-down menu in Google Earth, or click the Sky button on the Google Earth toolbar. The interface and navigation are similar to that of standard Google Earth steering, including dragging, zooming, search, "My Places," and layer selection.

Follow the links below for additional featured Sky in Google Earth Chandra tours.

Chandra Sky with Google Earth

The images in this tour are just a sample of the wealth of science that has been produced by Chandra, shown with optical and other multiwavelength data to place it in context of Sky in Google Earth.

Chandra Tour with Google Earth

Using Google Earth, you can follow the travels of Chandra from its humblest beginnings, through to launch, and finally track the data back to the Chandra X-ray Center.