SESDA II: Helping To Visualize the Universe
March 30, 2009
NASA’s High Energy Astrophysics Science Archive Research Center (HEASARC) and Legacy Archive for Microwave Background Data Analysis (LAMBDA), with the help of SESDA II scientific programmers, are providing new ways to view the skies from the comfort of your desk chair.
SkyView logo
SkyView is a virtual observatory that provides a single interface to data from dozens of celestial surveys spanning the electromagnetic spectrum. Survey data can be visualized via the SkyView website or by installing the Java-based software on one’s own computer. The site was recently featured by GSFC in a news story (http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/news/topstory/2009/skyview.html). SESDA II programmer Laura McDonald (ADNET) has supported the SkyView project since it began.
A screen shot of the new SkyViewer application. The displayed 3D map plots data from the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP).
A screen shot of the new SkyViewer application. The displayed 3D map plots data from the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP).
SESDA II staff member Michael Greason (ADNET), in conjunction with other GSFC scientists, has recently released a major update to LAMBDA’s own SkyViewer application. SkyViewer is a powerful program that allows users to display scientific sky maps on a 3D sphere with full support for real-time panning, zooming, and rotation. More details, including downloading instructions and requirements are available at http://lambda.gsfc.nasa.gov/toolbox/tb_skyviewer_ov.cfm.
