Don’t be alarmed, Stellarium makes use of a fairly minimal user interface. The first thing you’ll see is a ground level representation of your current location.

If you run into any problems, I suggest looking up your longitude and latitude on Google Maps and then entering them into Stellarium. Unfortunately, it’s not always accurate at pinpointing your location. It can be a little slow upon startup, but patience sees you through. While using the app, I actually felt like a child again, staring up in the wide open sky.Īfter installing and starting up Stellarium, the app will attempt to determine your current location. It’s a digital planetarium that allows you to look at almost anything in outer space. Perhaps the coolest feature is the eclipse simulation, one that you can look directly at, unlike a real eclipse. There’s a lot more to browse also, like constellations in twelve different cultures, time control modes, nebulae images, planet and moon images and more. There are also more catalogs to download that provide an additional 210 million stars. Stellarium features a map populated with more than 600,000 stars in total.

Requires a graphics card that supports OpenGL 2.1 or greater.

There’s a steep learning curve to use Stellarium.

Works on Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux, and has Android app.

You can locate particular objects with a search feature.

Incredibly minimal and attractive user interface.

Plenty of resources and helpful information about the software.

Tons of stars, constellations, planets and nebulae to view.We specifically reviewed the Windows version. Take note Stellarium is available on Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, and Android. While using the app, you can browse through an incredibly realistic model of the night sky- it looks just like the real sky would if you were gazing with the naked eye, through binoculars or even through a telescope. There’s no need to travel far into the country, or pay for admission in order to see the starry night sky. Stellarium is essentially a personal planetarium that can be viewed directly on your computer screen. Stellarium is a totally free and open source digital planetarium for Windows. Unfortunately, that’s not possible everywhere- especially since light pollution is a serious problem these days. One of the most prominent ways to geek out is to grab an old fashioned telescope, sit in the dark somewhere and stargaze. It blows my mind every time I stop and think about how massive the universe truly is. Since I was just a little squirt I’ve been fascinated with the stars.

Stellarium android app free download