Google Earth Exploring Mars in More Detail

Are you a bit tired of staring at planet earth? Does our planet seem a bit mundane to you and you want to explore new heights? Well, now you can turn to Google Earth for this. Last month Google released Google Earth 5.0, which has been expanded to include maps of Mars. Of course this comes in handy when planning your next extra-terrestial vacation, but aside from that we can use it for more educational purposes.

New updates dig deeper

Google likes to point out that although they are covering Mars, this extension of Google Earth is:

“designed specifically for our human users”

With the original release of Google Earth 5.0, maps of Mars were included but today updates were announced. Google Earth now shows a continuous stream of images taken of Mars, including pictures taken from the NASA’s THEMIS camera located on the Mars Odyssey spacecraft. After the updates announced today, we can view how Mars looked in the past, compared to how it looks today. The updates also include knowledge we have about Mars, the study of astronomy, and how our knowledge has evolved over time.

The old maps used to portray how Mars used to look were drawn by astronomers such as Giovanni Schiaparelli and Percival Lowell.

Virtual Field Trip: Things to do on Mars

The new update has made all kinds of information available from the Mars surface:

• Zoom in and out
• Change the camera view
• Click on icons to read about the location
• Click on icons for more information about important events
• Another new feature is the 3D flight visitors can take, which simulates flying on the Odyssey or the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. Aside from this being a lot of fun to do, I can see endless ways parents and teachers can use this as a teaching tool.

Have you taken a trip to Mars yet? What did you think?