Cool Sky Wiki - WikiSky.org
Someone sent me a link to this amazing astronomy/web2.0 mashup called WikiSky.org. This site has so many possibilities, I don't know where to begin.
I guess the site can be described primarily as a star chart. But it's also a Wiki. A Wiki, as many of you know, is “is a website that allows the visitors themselves to easily add, remove, and otherwise edit and change available content” so says Wikipedia on the topic.
Users can do all kinds of interesting things with the site:
- Of course, you can browse the site and zoom in on a starfield of your choosing.
- You can search for objects, like M51 (The whirlpool galaxy)
- Oh, and you can send a link to M51 (then click on show Sloan Digital Sky Survey to see a full-color photo... sadly, a programmer who invented the Sky Server, an image retrieval package designed for the SDSS, is missing.)
- Oh, and did I say you can generate in-place images for your website? Here is a 20 degree view containing Andromeda:
There are other API's available, too. As far as Wiki capabilities go, users can upload their own images and patch them into the proper location in the map. Well, in theory. The site is still under development.
Despite the raw-ness of the interface and the somewhat clumsy styling for the site, I'm very optimistic about this project and the collaboration opportunities it presents for pros and amateurs alike.