Google Maps has changed the way we travel and visit different sites on Earth. Thanks to him, we can fly over and know any part of the world, as well as consult specific addresses, or use it as GPS in our mobile. Now Google Maps lets you explore other planets and satellites.
Google Maps adds more planets and satellites, most thanks to Cassini
Yes, Google Maps now goes even further from Earth. We could already explore other planets through Google Earth, or explore the universe visible in its vastness through Google Sky, and from now on we can explore the surface of other planets in the Solar System, as well as some of their corresponding satellites.
Most of these images are available to us thanks to the Cassini spacecraft. It began just 20 years ago when it was launched on October 15, 1997, from Cape Canaveral. His life ended a month ago, on September 17, when at 13:55 Spanish time descended into the entrails of Saturn after so many years exploring its secrets.
In its 20 years, Cassini made and sent to Earth almost 500,000 photos, which allowed scientists on Earth to recompose them to complete images of the surface of planets and satellites. Now, all these reconstructed images can be consulted in Google Maps from your computer.
- In order to access these images, you have to activate the satellite mode in Google Maps.
- Then you have to zoom backward until you are off the Earth, and you can see the light in real time to see where it is during the day and where it is at night.
- Automatically, the list of planets and satellites that you can visit will appear on the left. You can also go directly through this link.
The Solar System at your feet with Google Maps
Among the planets and stars that we can visit we find:
- Mercury
- Venus
- The earth
- International Space Station
- Moon
- Mars
- Ceres
- Io
- Europe
- Ganymede
- Mimas
- Enceladus
- Dione
- Rhea
- Titan
- Iapetus
- Pluto
Some planets or satellites are not complete because they could not photograph certain parts. For example, in the case of Pluto, only a part of the surface can be seen. However, we can wander the plains icy Enceladus, under whose bark Cassini discovered water (and possible signs of life), or the craters of Mimas, one of Saturn’s moons reminiscent of the Death Star (this last is not based on Mimas, since the crater of the moon was discovered three years after the premiere of Episode IV).
The images of Europe, Ganymede, Rhea and Mimas were joined by Björn Jónsson, from the images of the NSA and the ESA. Along with them, Google has decided to make available also Pluto and Venus along with other moons, adding a total of 12 new stars to explore those already available, such as the Earth itself, the Moon or Mars.
Source: Google