Metro-East News

See the planets and moons close up with Google Maps’ new addition

By Kara Berg
A dramatic plume sprays water ice and vapor from the south polar region of Saturn's moon Enceladus. Cassini's first hint of this plume came during the spacecraft's first close flyby on Feb. 17, 2005. Google Maps has added a feature so users can see planets and moons like Enceladus online.
A dramatic plume sprays water ice and vapor from the south polar region of Saturn's moon Enceladus. Cassini's first hint of this plume came during the spacecraft's first close flyby on Feb. 17, 2005. Google Maps has added a feature so users can see planets and moons like Enceladus online. NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute Courtesy

Google Maps is taking on space.

If you’ve ever wanted to explore any of the planets, the International Space Station or known moons in our solar system without leaving the comfort of your phone or computer, it’s your lucky day. Google Maps added 12 new planets and moons for users to explore.

Users can now scroll out on the Google Maps screen to get to space, or use the direct link. The images come from various spacecrafts, including the Cassini probe, according to Google’s blog. Cassini allowed “scientists to reconstruct these distant worlds in unprecedented detail.”

Just like the rest of Google Maps, users can scroll closer to the planets to get more detail, and all images are 3D.

Now you can explore the planets without worrying about pesky clouds or formatting a telescope.

Kara Berg: 618-239-2626, @karaberg95

This story was originally published October 17, 2017 at 6:56 PM with the headline "See the planets and moons close up with Google Maps’ new addition."

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