STAR gazers thwarted by Lancashire's recent rain clouds can catch a clear glimpse of the sky at night using a new piece of computer software.

Swirling galaxies, vibrant supanovas and distant stars hovering above the county can now be viewed at the click of a mouse button.

Internet giant Google has added a new feature to its popular Google Earth facility - Google Sky.

As well as typing in a postcode and seeing an aerial view of their home, residents can see picture of the night sky above them. Using the on-line virtual telescope it is possible to navigate your way through 100 million individual stars and 200 million galaxies.

High resolution imagery - including NASA Hubble Space Telescope pictures - and informative overlays create a unique playground for visualising and learning about space.

Dr Ian Griffin regularly studies the skies from his Todmorden garden using his 14-inch lens telescope.

The director of Manchester's Science and Industry Museum - who used to work for NASA when he lived in America - said: "Anything that gets people interested in astronomy is excellent.

"The cool thing about the Google site is that it lets you see the Hubble pictures, which are full of amazing colour and detail."

He added: "Lancashire's skies are often too cloudy to see the stars well - although this weekend's weather promises the opportunity for keen astronomers to go out and get a glimpse with their real telescopes."