http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123189526780879621.html
Spain's Prado Museum has teamed up with Google Earth for a project that allows people to zoom in on the gallery's main works, even on details not immediately discernible to the human eye. "There is no better way to pay tribute to the great masters of the history of art than to universalize knowledge of their works using optimum conditions," Prado director Miguel Zugaza said. Google Spain director Javier Rodriguez Zapatero said the images now available on the Internet were 1,400 times as clear as what would be rendered with a 10-megapixel camera. "With Google Earth technology it is possible to enjoy these magnificent works in a way never previously possible, obtaining details impossible to appreciate through first-hand observation," he said. Google Earth is a free service provided by Google Inc. that uses satellite technology to reproduce maps and finely detailed images of places throughout the world, from people's houses in American cities to beaches or forests in Africa. The Prado idea was the brainchild of Google worker Clara Rivera. "There is nothing comparable to standing before any of these paintings, but this offers a complementary view," she said. "Normally you have to stand a good distance away from these works, but this offers you the chance to see details that you could only see from a big ladder placed right beside them." The images can be seen by going to Google, downloading the Google Earth software, then typing in Prado Museum in the search engine. Once the museum zooms into focus, click on the square with the name of the museum. Copyright (c) 2009 Associated Press
