Slooh Offers Live Viewing of Outer Space

Posted on May 21, 2004

Slooh, an online service to offer live viewing of outer space, officially launched on National Astronomy Day on April 24th, 2004. Slooh allows members to access and control its high-powered telescopes which are situated at 7900 feet on Mt. Teide, at the Institute of Astrophysics in the Canary Islands, one of the world's best locations for astronomical viewing.

Slooh's telescopes are stationed five hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time and allow members to see the night sky during daylight hours in the U.S. In development since 2001, Slooh has been online in public beta since December 25th, 2003, and has attracted a sizeable initial base of members.

"Slooh's proprietary technology collects the light of distant celestial objects and develops the images in real time as our members look on," said Michael Paolucci, president and founder of Slooh. "Slooh is a revolutionary way to fulfill the fundamental human desire to connect to the rhythms and wonders of the universe. We are extremely excited to be officially launching on National Astronomy Day."

Slooh's equipment is configured to optimize objects such as the Orion Nebula, the Whirlpool Galaxy and the Pleiades Cluster-objects that are difficult to see in all their grandeur with a typical backyard telescope. Each of the high-powered, professional catadioptric and refractor telescopes is equipped with a focuser, filter wheel and CCD camera, which gives members a profound viewing experience.

"Slooh is a great introduction to astronomy, with breathtaking live imagery that even experts will appreciate," said Bob Berman, a columnist with Astronomy Magazine.

Slooh's basic membership costs $49 per year for unlimited group missions, plus 15 minutes of solo mission time. Deluxe membership is $99 per year for unlimited group missions, plus 90 minutes of solo mission time. Additional solo time can be purchased in 15-minute intervals for $19.95. Slooh is available online for a 7-day free trial and requires a 56K modem and Flash 7. Individuals who sign up for a free trial of Slooh can submit a K-12 school of their choice to receive an annual membership free of charge.