Planetarium software

Planetarium software is application software that allows a user to simulate the celestial sphere at any time of day, especially at night, on a computer. Such applications can be as rudimentary as displaying a star chart or sky map for a specific time and location, or as complex as rendering photorealistic views of the sky.

While some planetarium software is meant to be used exclusively on a personal computer, some applications can be used to interface with and control telescopes or planetarium projectors. Optional features may include inserting the orbital elements of comets and other newly discovered bodies for display.

Comparison of planetarium software

Name Latest release License Operating system
Windows Linux macOS Android iOS
Astrarium September, 2024 MIT License Yes No No No No
C2A May 1, 2021 Proprietary Yes No No No No
Cartes du Ciel November 24, 2019 GPLv2 Yes Yes Yes No No
Celestia April 20, 2023 GPLv2 Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Digital Universe Atlas October 2019 Illinois Open Source License No Yes Yes No Yes
HNSKY July 8, 2023 GNU General Public License v3 Yes Yes Yes No No
KStars August 1, 2023 GPLv2 Yes Yes Yes Yes No
Stellarium July 2, 2023 GPLv2 Yes Yes Yes Partial (limited) Partial (limited)
Nightshade 2022 GPLv3 (Nightshade Legacy) Nightshade Public License (Nightshade NG) Yes Yes Yes No No
SkyExplorer 2021 Proprietary Yes No No No No
Sky Map December 21, 2021 Apache License, Version 2.0 No No No Yes No
SpaceEngine July 4, 2023 Proprietary Yes Yes (Proton)[1]
Native build Planned
Planned No No
XEphem September 14, 2021 MIT License No Yes Yes No No
WorldWide Telescope February 15, 2022 MIT License Yes No No No No
Redshift - Proprietary Yes No Yes Yes Yes
SkySafari - Proprietary No No Yes Yes Yes
Starry Night - Proprietary Yes No Yes No No
Sky Guide August 18, 2021 Proprietary No No No No Yes
TheSky - Proprietary - - - - -
WinStars April 3, 2023 Proprietary - - - - -
Google Sky - Proprietary - - - - -
Digistar - Proprietary - - - - -
Shira Player (software) November 22, 2020 GPLv2 Yes No No No No
Shira Universe (software) February 13, 2021 MIT License Yes No No No No
PlanetariumVR (virtual reality) August 9, 2021 Proprietary Yes No No No No

See also

References

  1. ^ ""ProtonDB - Game details for SpaceEngine"". ProtonDB. Retrieved 22 April 2022.