Art Chimes | Washington, DC 23 April 2010

Related Links
Wikisky.org

Time again for our Website of the Week, when we showcase interesting and innovative online destinations.

If you've ever been to a planetarium, you know what it's like to look at stars and planets while an expert guide explains what you're looking at. Our Website of the Week brings a veritable galaxy of images from the Hubble Space Telescope and other sources to your computer.

"We have over 600 million objects mapped. And from this perspective the website might be interesting, not only for amateur astronomers, but for professionals as well," says Kostantine Lysenko, one of the co-creators of Wikisky.org, where breathtaking images of the cosmos come with pop-up labels so you know what you're seeing.

"We have different kinds of images, but probably the most valuable thing is that the objects that you can see on the images are mapped," says Lysenko. "That means that when you move the mouse on the object, you can see what this object exactly is."

Wikisky lets you scan the virtual sky on your computer, or you can search for stars, planets, and other objects. There are also astronomy forums and other features that make Wikisky appeal to students of the sky.

"In some universities, teachers recommend the website to students," says Lysenko. "We know about that because we can see that the site is mentioned in educational materials in several places."

Explore the beauty and wonder of the galaxies at Wikisky.org, or visit our site, VOAnews.com, for the link to this and hundreds of other Websites of the Week.