Space, the final frontier for Google

It's hard to keep up with Google these days. No sooner do they bring out one innovation using the latest technology to map out the planet, than they set their eyes to the sky.Only this time they want us to look up as well.
From now on, amateur astronomers will be able to tell the difference between Mercury and Mars by simply pointing their camera-phones at the night sky and clicking a button.
The Google software, called Star Droid, uses GPS technology found in most new handsets to identify the position of the user and then compares this with existing maps of space. It automatically attaches name tags to the stars and planets that can be seen through the phone’s viewfinder.
The application, which could be launched as early as this week, is also likely to identify the object’s distance from Earth and its position within a constellation.
Astronomers hope Google’s technology, which will be free to download from the internet, will help to inspire and educate a new generation of stargazers.
The company’s critics, however, will no doubt see Google’s move into space as further evidence of its omnipresence. Some have already half-jokingly referred to its latest product as Google Universe.