The beta is a free download which brings together imagery from the best ground- and space-based observatories across the world, according to Microsoft.

"The WorldWide Telescope is a powerful tool for science and education that makes it possible for everyone to explore the universe," said Bill Gates, chairman of Microsoft.

"By combining terabytes of incredible imagery and data with easy-to-use software for viewing and moving through all that information, the WorldWide Telescope opens the door to new ways to see and experience the wonders of space," Gates continued.

You can choose which telescope you want to look through, including the Hubble Space Telescope, the Chandra X-Ray Observatory Centre or the Spitzer Space Telescope.

You can view the locations of planets in the night sky in the past, present or future. The download will take up 1GB of hard disk space.

WorldWide Telescope has echoes of Google Sky, a layer within the Google Earth application but also available as a web application, requiring no download.

www.worldwidetelescope.org

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