Mars in Google Earth
There have been some updates on Mars in Google earth this month. Mars was introduced in Google earth in its 5th version. And it has since then kept growing. Now Google has added 3 new features to the already existing ones. The first of these being the history layer, this is similar to that of earth’s history layer. Second is updated imagery from NASA and ESA, and improved search function to make it easier to explore well-known sites on Mars. Thirdly two new guided tours of Mars narrated by Ira Flatow of Public Radio's Science Friday and Bill Nye the Science Guy have been added to the already existing ones.
History layer: once the user has opened the MARS in Google earth he can click on the layer called Historical maps and explore antique maps created by astronomers like Giovanni Schiaparelli, Percival Lowell etc. this layer enables the user to view the planet through the eyes of these great scientists. It gives a picture of how they viewed this planet in their times and what were their perceptions related to it. Once done with visiting the history the user can come back to the present by clicking on “Live from Mars”. This includes imagery from NASA’s THEMIS camera which is onboard the Mars Odyssey Spacecraft. This layer lets the user fly across Mars along with Odyssey and the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter to see what they have been doing lately and what they will be doing next.
Updated Imagery from NASA and ESA: the satellite imagery form NASA and ESA has existed from the launch of Mars in Google earth. And now it has been updated with lots of latest pictures. And with the adding of the pictures Google has made searching them easy too. The new improved search function makes it easier to explore well known sites on Mars. Users can also read geo-located articles from Hartman’s “A Traveler’s Guide to Mars” as they could in the previous version. Users can read about the Solar System’s Largest Canyon, tallest volcanoes, the infamous face on Mars etc. and also the users can follow the paths of Mars rovers and view high resolution panoramic photos of the Mars surface
.The user can now learn about the history of Mars science and exploration with 2 new guided tours of the Mars. These are narrated by Ira Flatow of Public Radio’s, who is famous for the shows like Science Friday and Bill Nye the Science Guy.
Apart from these 3 new features rest all is how it was. On selecting Mars from the toolbar in Google Earth a user can fly to a 3D view of the planet. Once inside the planet the user can choose from the many layers available. Layers like informational layers, imagery and terrain provide the user with the detailed information of the Red Planet. The tools of navigation and exploration are similar to that of the earth.
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