Google Sky Map Android app travels through time
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Google Sky Map Android app lets you see how the sky has looked, and will look, throughout the years.
Ever wonder what the stars and planets looked like on the day you were born? Wonder what the nighttime sky will look like on the day your baby is due?

Borrowing a page from H.G. Wells, the latest version of the Google Sky Map Android app that Google (GOOG) is making available Thursday will let you skip back or jump ahead in time to check out the celestial view on a given date.

When you point an Android smartphone loaded with Sky Map at the heavens, the app reveals the position of the stars, planets and constellations to help you identify what you are seeing. Sky Map is geared for the general public more than serious amateur astronomers.

The app is the brainchild of Google software engineer Kevin Serafini (along with fellow engineer John Taylor), who says time travel has been one of the most requested features.

For example, retreat to May 29, 1919, and explore the solar eclipse that helped Albert Einstein prove his theory of relativity (a popular date to choose from in a drop-down menu). Or travel to March 1, 2007, when the moon passed in front of Saturn. Or examine the sky on July 20, 1969, when Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon.

Because stars, planets and constellations move at a celestial pace, you can fast-forward or rewind at different speeds to see how the night sky changes.

By default the app uses GPS, but you can switch to manual mode. So if you're planning a vacation, you can change the app's location to see what the sky will look like at your destination.

Unfortunately, Google's time machine can travel only so far — back to 1900 or forward to 2100. "If we do open it up, it will be interesting to see what Caesar saw in ancient Rome," Serafini says.

Google Sky rocketed out of Google's "20 percent time" project in which Google engineers can spend one day a week on an endeavor that's not their day job. Gmail also emerged from the project.

"A lot of companies encourage people to be innovative, but they miss some key elements," says Alan Eustace, Google's senior vice president for engineering and research. "What we're trying to avoid is the suggestion box mentality."

Adds Eustace, "There's no way management is going to pick Google Sky Map as the next thing we're going to do as a company. But then, once we see Google Sky, there isn't a single person in management who says, 'Hey, we shouldn't do that.' "

The app, for Android devices running version 1.6 and above, is free in the Android Market.

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