Celestia! 3D Space Simulator, Explore The Universe From Your Home PC! FREE! (Vanity?)

Celestia Software ^ | 1/24/2004 | Chris Laurel

[Dallas59]

"Celestia is a free real-time space simulation that lets you experience our universe in three dimensions. Unlike most planetarium software, Celestia doesn't confine you to the surface of the Earth. You can travel throughout the solar system, to any of over 100,000 stars, or even beyond the galaxy. All travel in Celestia is seamless; the exponential zoom feature lets you explore space across a huge range of scales, from galaxy clusters down to spacecraft only a few meters across. A 'point-and-goto' interface makes it simple to navigate through the universe to the object you want to visit."

Available for MAC and Linux!

[Dallas59]

This is fun yall. Below are screen shot from my desktop showing the program running. Follow planets, moons and comets in real time. Go to the surface of an alien planet thousands of light years away and look up to an alien sky. Really neat and free. Hundreds of add ons, like clouds for Mars, Nebulas, Clusters, Planetary systems, Star Wars and on and on.

[Dallas59]

You can also create movies and take stills.

[Dallas59]

Mid Morning Mars





Land site of OPPORTUNITY about in the middle.

[Dallas59]

Saturn seen thru Titan Atmosphere

[jigsaw]

Thank You! Thank You! Thank You!

This is one of the neatest pieces of software I've ever seen. It's going to take a while before I can fly very well, but it is incredible.

Thank you, again!

It's amazing that it is freeware!

[Dallas59]

Ain't it tho? You can download both new version and the last. Both will run. Some of the addons from other sites won't work in the new version, but will in the last, and some will will only work in the 1.20 version. It won't hurt the program if it doesn't work, you just won't see the addon. I have made several movies thru Windows Movie Maker with a sound track. I love it. Be sure to read the directions for the controls.

[jigsaw]

Be sure to read the directions for the controls.

After embedding myself in the Sun several times, I realized the instructions would be a very good idea!

Kids these days are so lucky to grow up with software like this! And I used to think how lucky I was back in the 50's to get a plastic Nike missle on a spring-loaded launcher in a cereal box!

[martin_fierro]

I've loved using CELESTIA for a long time now. Here are some other cool Astronomy-related links:

Cool (Free!) Astronomy-related Software: Please FReepmail other suggestions

Celestia: (GET THIS ONE! -- m_f) A real-time space simulation that lets you experience our universe in three dimensions. Unlike most planetarium software, Celestia doesn't confine you to the surface of the Earth. You can travel throughout the solar system, to any of over 100,000 stars, or even beyond the galaxy. All travel in Celestia is seamless; the exponential zoom feature lets you explore space across a huge range of scales, from galaxy clusters down to spacecraft only a few meters across. A 'point-and-goto' interface makes it simple to navigate through the universe to the object you want to visit. Sky Screen Saver: Shows the sky above any location on Earth, including stars (from the Yale Bright Star Catalogue of more than 9000 stars to the 7th magnitude), the Moon in its correct phase and position in the sky, and the position of the Sun and all the planets in the sky. Outlines, boundaries, and names of constellations can be displayed, as well as names and Bayer/Flamsteed designations of stars brighter than a given threshold. A database of more than 500 deep-sky objects, including all the Messier objects and bright NGC objects can be plotted to a given magnitude. The ecliptic and celestial equator can be plotted, complete with co-ordinates. Home Planet: A comprehensive astronomy / space / satellite-tracking package for Microsoft Windows 95/98/Me and Windows NT 4.0/2000/XP and above. Selected features: An earth map, showing day and night regions, location of the Moon and current phase, and position of a selected earth satellite. Earth maps can be customised and extended.Hposition and phase data for the Sun and Moon. Panel showing positions of planets and a selected asteroid or comet, both geocentric and from the observer's location. A sky map, based on either the Yale Bright Star Catalogue or the 256,000 star SAO catalogue, including rendering of spectral types, planets, earth satellites, asteroids and comets. Databases of the orbital elements of 5632 asteroids and principal periodic comets are included, allowing selection of any for tracking. A telescope window which can be aimed by clicking in the sky map or telescope itself, by entering coordinates, or by selecting an object in the Object Catalogue. A horizon window which shows the view toward the horizon at any given azimuth. Object Catalogue allows archiving images, sounds, and tabular data about celestial objects. Orrery allows viewing the solar system, including a selected asteroid or comet, from any vantage point in space, in a variety of projections. Satellite tracking panel. Select an Earth satellite from a database of two-line elements, and see its current position and altitude. View Earth From panel allows you to view a texture-mapped image of the Earth as seen from the Sun, Moon, a selected Earth satellite, above the observing location, or the antisolar point. Satellite database selection allows maintenance of multiple lists of satellites, for example TV broadcast, ham radio, low orbit, etc. SETI@Home: A scientific experiment that uses Internet-connected computers in the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI). You can participate by running a free program that downloads and analyzes radio telescope data.

[Dallas59]

Thanks! Home Planet looks cool. I have SETI running on my old computer...nothing yet...

[Dallas59]

I'm going thru my second childhood with this box. Online Games keep getting better. I love it when a 10-15 year old kid from someplace in the world, tells me to go to hell after I blow him away in a game! LOL!

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

Bump for later.

[JerseyHighlander]

Stunning, and Free. Free is good bump.

[WSGilcrest]

Yeah, Celestia is COOL! Thought I'd search FR and see if any other FReepers were saying anything about it. You still use it? Cool movie, BTW.

[Dallas59]

Woa...a blast post from the past! Here's a "new" movie I made from last year. I have all the versions. Some addons work some don't on the newer versions.

Clicky Here For 2005 a Celestia Space Odyssey

[NinoFan]

Just downloaded this program. WOW is all I can say.

[freedumb2003]

Celestia is a free real-time space simulation that lets you experience our universe in three dimensions.

So were the drugs I used in college! ;)