Planets and moons are now part of Google Maps — here are 6 incredible worlds you must explore

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Google Maps

A few years ago, Google gave people the ability to freely explore objects in space — but that experience was mostly locked up in Google Earth, the company’s 3D-mapping software.

This week, however, the company announced that far-out destinations can now be summoned directly in web browsers through a new feature of Google Maps called "Planets."

Fortunately the name is a misnomer, since there are also moons, dwarf planets, and even the International Space Station to explore.

There’s no search box within "Planets," so it’s difficult to, say, find the Apollo mission landing sites on Earth’s moon. The maps also restrict the degree to which you can both rotate and zoom in on a world, especially at the poles.

Regardless, it’s fun to play with — and bound to give you a new perspective on the solar system.

Here are six new outer-space destinations in Google Maps we recommend checking out.

International Space Station

Google Maps

Google Maps starts you out inside the Cupola module, a multi-pane window that looks down on Earth. Make sure to spin around and click Node 3: the home of NASA’s famous Waste and Hygiene Compartment (a toilet).

Next to the toilet is the relatively new Water Recovery System.

Google Maps

The device collects astronaut urine, sweat, and breath, then recycles 93% of it into fresh drinking water.

Farther down the module, you can also check the station’s spacesuits, called external mobility units.

Google Maps

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