Exploring the moon in Google Earth

While hundreds millions of people have used Google Earth over the years, many aren’t aware of some of the great things it can do.  One of those is the ability to explore our moon, which is an excellent feature to have.  Google first introduced this feature back in 2009, and it’s still amazing to see.

Just look for the little planet icon in the upper middle of Google Earth and you’ll see an option titled “Moon“. The moon in Google Earth changes the virtual globe into a 3D rendition of the moon. The terrain of the moon is in 3D and there are layers telling you more about the moon.

Here’s a screenshot that Frank took a few years ago showing the Apollo 11 landing site:

The first thing you should check out in the Google Earth moon mode is the awesome Apollo 11 tour found in the layers under: Moon Gallery->Guided Tours->Apollo 11. This tour is narrated by Andrew Chaiken and Astronaut Buzz Aldrin and is one of the best illustrations of the Apollo 11 mission I’ve seen to date!

Here is a YouTube video introduction of Moon in Google Earth by Google:

When this feature first came out, Frank was fortunate enough to be on hand for the official announcement, and he mentioned quite a few thoughts and features about this new piece of Google Earth.  After you finish reading that, head into Google Earth and try it out for yourself if you never have before.