When blogger Robert Scoble saw something at the Microsoft Research labs that made him cry, Microsoft bloggers couldn't stop guessing at what the company was getting ready to unveil. Few predicted that the unveiling would end up being the WorldWide Telescope (WWT), a Virtual Earth for the sky and beyond. The company had truly outdone itself; the catalog of objects amassed from telescopes around the world, together with the guided tours and other interactive features, made the piece of software great for both astronomers and little kids who have dreams of becoming an astronaut.

When it became available in May, we took a peek at it and we couldn't help but conclude that it beat the living snot out of Google's offering, Google Sky. Now Microsoft has released a number that supports our quick review. The software giant has announced that WWT has passed the 1 million download mark: "[Thirty]-nine years after man first walked on the moon, astronomical exploration retains an irresistible allure, as evidenced by Microsoft Research’s Worldwide Telescope, which attained its millionth download less than two months after being released." Quite an achievement for a completely new software release!

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