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Updated features for Sky in Google Earth arrived for the popular application, with more content added to the platform.

The dream of exploring space fades for kids once they find out that knowing all the constellations and major stars in the sky is just the start. Instead of phasers and starships and boldly going where no one has gone before, there's a lot of advanced mathematics to learn.

Finding joy in the starts needn't be a distant dream with Google Earth. Sky in the app displays a lot more to see, the Google LatLong blog said today.

Views of space range from the most current, using NASA space telescopes to "see" the universe at different spectrums of energy, to a glimpse from the past:

...the new version of Sky also brings you glimpses of the sky as seen by astronomers in the 17th century. Constellation maps from the David Rumsey collection and the U.S. Naval Library show the astronomical state of the art, three centuries ago (there be dragons).

If the visuals are not enough, the LatLong blog also noted the presence of podcasts about upcoming sky events in the Earth & Sky layer. These podcasts discuss visual treats like meteor showers as well as astronomical news.

The LatLong blog also announced the availability of Sky, Moon and Mars imagery in the Google Maps API. "This allows any developer to build interesting applications and websites using Sky imagery, and extend the Sky experience to any place on the web," they said.