Big News: Microsoft Is Open?Sourcing WorldWide Telescope

WorldWide Telescope (WWT) is a Microsoft Research product that is being used by millions of people as their unified astronomical image and data environment for exploratory research, teaching, and public outreach. Now, Microsoft Research is open sourcing WWT with OpenWWT. OpenWWT allows any individual or organization to adapt and extend the functionality of WorldWide Telescope to meet any research or educational need. Extensions to the software will continuously enhance astronomical research, formal and informal learning, and public outreach.

How can you help?

Open-sourcing WWT will allow the people who can best imagine how WWT should evolve to meet the expanding research and teaching challenges in astronomy to guide and foster future development. The OpenWWT Consortium’s members are institutions who will guide WWT’s transition from Microsoft Research to a new host organization. The Consortium and hosting organization will work with the broader astronomical community on a three-part mission of: 1) advancing astronomical research, 2) improving formal and informal astronomy education; and 3) enhancing public outreach.

Join us. If you and your institution want to help shape the future of WWT to support your needs, and the future of open-source software development in Astronomy, then ask us about joining the OpenWWT Consortium.

To contact the WWT team, or inquire about joining the OpenWWT Consortium, contact Doug Roberts at [email protected].

Read more about it here.