Stellarium has released an updated version of the online planetarium of the same name after more than 20 years of development – it allows you to virtually travel through the expanses of the universe.
Stellarium is an open source virtual planetarium. It shows a realistic 3D sky, just like what we see with the naked eye, binoculars or a telescope.
At the moment, more than 600,000 stars and 80,000 other objects are available on the resource – they can be enlarged and studied in more detail.
The release version of Stellarium 1.0 introduces an improved sky lighting model and support for high resolution displays. Also increased detail compared to beta versions. And the service can also determine the location and show the starry sky from your point.
Stellarium was created by French programmer Fabian Chereau, who launched the project in the summer of 2001. Other developers include Robert Spearman, Johannes Gadjozik, Matthew Gates, Timothy Reeves, Bogdan Marinov, and Johan Meeris, who is in charge of the artwork.
At the moment, the virtual planetarium is available for Linux, macOS, Microsoft Windows, Symbian, Android and iOS users (in the last three as Stellarium Mobile), as well as MeeGo (latest available version 0.16.1).
The program uses OpenGL and Qt technologies to show a realistic sky in real time. You can watch solar eclipses and the movement of comets, or “catch” a couple of Starlinks above your home.
You can use the tool for free and without registration – here is a link to the online resource. True, we recommend launching Stellarium only at the end of the working day: there is a chance to stay in the planetarium for a long time.
How to launch Stellarium 1.0 planetarium:
- Go to the Stellarium website;
- In the upper right corner, select your device and download the program;
- Or click on the Stellarium Web item (the service will launch directly in the browser).
