Microsoft uncaps desktop telescope

Besides moving in or out to peer at an object, WorldWide Telescope viewers can choose perspectives from different locations on Earth. And they can look at the universe as it appeared far in the past, or as it will in the future, turning the program into something of a virtual time machine. Hit fast forward and you can watch Jupiter's moons spinning as they orbit the planet.

All of which can be a bit intimidating -- space is, after all, pretty big -- and the navigation takes some getting used to.

But WorldWide Telescope also offers guided tours, in which experts give slide shows on areas of interest. Users can create and share their own slide shows, the best of which will be offered up to all others on the system.

Wong, who grew up in L.A., said he expected the project to be especially popular with students.

"I didn't really see the stars well until I was in high school" because of all the ambient light in the city, Wong said. "About 70% of U.S. kids live in large urban areas, and I doubt if any of them have seen the Milky Way.

"This is my way of showing them."

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joseph.menn@latimes.com