Used by astronomers for years, Slooh is an online service that lets people control space telescopes around the world and take images in real time. They've now launched a novice version for you and me.
Slooh controls a global network of mountain top telescopes located in Chile, Australia, and Europe, offering 24 hour views of the night sky. The coolest part is that the images seen on your computer screen are captured live, rather than taken by someone else a while ago. You're able to zoom in and learn about the celestial bodies encountered during each mission.
150 minutes of space time costs only about $15. And since you can't afford a multi-million dollar rocketship ride into space, this is definitely the ticket to get closer to the stars. [SLOOH Press Release]