While there’s no direct equivalent to Google Maps for exploring the Milky Way, there are several tools and datasets that allow us to visualize and explore our galaxy. Prominent among them is the digital project by NASA called WorldWide Telescope (WWT), which compiles imagery from various telescopes across different wavelengths to create a comprehensive view of the universe. The European Space Agency’s Gaia mission has provided a highly detailed 3D map of over one billion stars in our galaxy, significantly enhancing our understanding of the Milky Way’s structure.
Other tools include Stellarium, a planetarium software that shows a realistic sky in 3D, and Google Sky, an extension of Google Earth that allows users to explore celestial objects. These resources, while not a single centralized “map” like Google Maps, offer extensive capabilities for observing and learning about the Milky Way and the broader universe. They provide rich interactive interfaces that astronomers and hobbyists alike can use to delve into the vastness of our galaxy and beyond.