Google Maps offers maps of nearly any place on Earth. For maps of places beyond Earth, a new 3D map of the known universe is now available to the public. The 3D map of the universe is made by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS-III). The SDSS-III map details every known part of the universe, including galaxies, black holes, and even individual planets. It could be a useful tool for students, and even those of us who simply want to stare in awe.

The images are made available by the publicly available Data Release 9 (DR9) project images. Six years worth of images of the universe have been captured by the DR9 project, but the map only shows images of the first 2 years. As a result, it may be slightly different due to the omission of what researchers have learned about the Universe in the last four years, but it remains accurate and breathtaking.

The 3D map of the universe is available at the SDSS-III website.