In commemoration of Percival Lowell's birthday, Google joined up with NASA to build Google Mars, a version of Google Maps for Mars. In 1895, Percival Lowell published his book "Mars" where he describes the canals, oases from Mars and the technically superior intelligent lifeforms which created them. A quote from the book:
"Now, in the special case of Mars, we have before us the spectacle of a world relatively well on in years, a world much older than the Earth. To so much about his age Mars bears evidence on his face. He shows unmistakable signs of being old. Advancing planetary years have left their mark legible there. His continents are all smoothed down; his oceans have all dried up. Teres atque rotundus, he is a steady-going body now. If once he had a chaotic youth, it has long since passed away. Although called after the most turbulent of the gods, he is at the present time, whatever he may have been once, one of the most peaceable of the heavenly host. His name is a sad misnomer; indeed, the ancients seem to have been singularly unfortunate in their choice of planetary cognomens. With Mars so peaceful, Jupiter so young, and Venus bashfully draped in cloud, the planet's names accord but ill with their temperaments."
Googlist discovered that Google registered last year the following domains: GoogleMercury.com, GoogleVenus.com, GoogleJupiter.com, GoogleSaturn.com, GoogleUranus.com, GoogleNeptune.com, GooglePluto.com, GoogleGalaxy.com, GoogleGalactic.com, GoogleUniverse.com, GoogleSatellite.com, GoogleSolarSystem.com. Maybe Google wants to extend Google Earth to Google Solar System or even Google Galaxy.
More at Google Blog.
