With the updated Mars in Google Earth, the so-called “armchair astronauts” have got yet another reason to spend their time. Using the 3D mapping tool, the astronomy addicts can now virtually “travel around” the Red planet!

According to the search engine giant Google, its Saturday offering of the Google Mars feature provides the avid home-based explorers with advanced state-of-art images of the Earth’s neighboring planet.

The new feature provides the users the dual pleasure of the exploring different aspects related to Mars’ past and present – they can observe the historic, century-old maps of the planet, as also the most recent images from the present-day Mars spacecraft.

And that’s not all! NASA’s Mars Odyssey and Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter allow users to accompany them on virtual flybys; Public Radio’s Ira Flatow and the “Science Guy” Bill Nye, facilitate guided tours of the planet.

Talking about the latest Google offering, the company’s spokesperson said: “We are entering uncharted territory!”

As per the Daily Telegraph reports, Google’s new service has encouraged odds makers to raise a much-deliberated likelihood concerning Mars – that of existence of life on the planet. Thanks to Google Mars, the odds in favor of finding life on Mars soon have come down dramatically – from the earlier 500 to 1 to only 50 to 1!