Software:Planetarium software

From HandWiki
Short description: Software to simulate day and nighttime sky

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
C2A May 1, 2021 Proprietary Yes No No No No
Cartes du Ciel November 24, 2019 GPLv2 Yes Yes Yes No No
Celestia Jan 17, 2021 GPLv2 Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Digital Universe Atlas - Illinois Open Source License No Yes Yes No Yes
HNSKY June 13, 2021 GNU General Public License v3 Yes Yes Yes No No
KStars March 1, 2021 GPLv2 Yes Yes Yes Yes No
Stellarium July 8, 2022 GPLv2 Yes Yes Yes Yes No
Nightshade August 23, 2017 GPLv3 (Nightshade Legacy) Nightshade Public License (Nightshade NG) Yes Yes Yes No No
SkyExplorer 2021 Proprietary Yes No No No No
Sky Map - Apache License, Version 2.0 No No No Yes No
SpaceEngine May 19, 2022 Proprietary Yes Yes (Proton)[1]
Native build Planned
Planned No No
XEphem February 28, 2021 MIT License No Yes Yes No No
WorldWide Telescope June 15, 2016 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 - 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