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

rowspan="2"\| Name ! rowspan="2" data-sort-type=date \| Latest release ! rowspan="2" colspan="2" \| License ! colspan="5" \| Operating system
class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable" style="text-align: center;"
Windows ! Linux ! macOS ! Android ! iOS
Astrarium	September 9, 2024{{Cite web \|title=Releases · Astrarium/Astrarium \|url=https://github.com/Astrarium/Astrarium/releases \|access-date=2024-12-18 \|website=GitHub \|language=en}}	colspan="2" {{free\|MIT License}}	{{Yes}}	{{No}}	{{No}}	{{No}}	{{No}}
C2A	May 1, 2021	colspan="2" {{Proprietary\|Proprietary}}	{{Yes}}	{{No}}	{{No}}	{{No}}	{{No}}
Cartes du Ciel	November 24, 2019	colspan="2" {{free\|GPLv2}}	{{Yes}}	{{Yes}}	{{Yes}}	{{No}}	{{No}}
Celestia	November 4, 2023{{Cite web \|title=Releases · CelestiaProject/Celestia \|url=https://github.com/CelestiaProject/Celestia/releases \|access-date=2024-12-18 \|website=GitHub \|language=en}}	colspan="2" {{free\|GPLv2}}	{{Yes}}	{{Yes}}	{{Yes}}	{{Yes}}	{{Yes}}
Digital Universe Atlas	July 18, 2024{{Cite web \|title=Release 0.20.1 · OpenSpace/OpenSpace \|url=https://github.com/OpenSpace/OpenSpace/releases/tag/releases/v0.20.1 \|access-date=2024-12-18 \|website=GitHub \|language=en}}	colspan="2" {{free\|Illinois Open Source License}}	{{No}}	{{Yes}}	{{Yes}}	{{No}}	{{Yes}}
HNSKY	June 14, 2024{{Cite web \|title=History of the Hallo northern sky planetarium software program \|url=https://www.hnsky.org/history.htm \|access-date=2024-12-18 \|website=www.hnsky.org}}	colspan="2" {{free\|GNU General Public License v3}}	{{Yes}}	{{Yes}}	{{Yes}}	{{No}}	{{No}}
KStars	December 5, 2024	colspan="2" {{free\|GPLv2}}	{{Yes}}	{{Yes}}	{{Yes}}	{{Yes}}	{{No}}
Stellarium	September 22, 2024	colspan="2" {{free\|GPLv2}}	{{Yes}}	{{Yes}}	{{Yes}}	{{Partial}} (limited)	{{Partial}} (limited)
OpenSpace	July 18, 2024	colspan="2" {{free\|MIT License}}	{{Yes}}	{{Yes}}	{{No}}	{{No}}	{{No}}
Nightshade	2022	{{free\|GPLv3 (Nightshade Legacy)}}	{{nonfree\|Nightshade Public License (Nightshade NG)}}	{{Yes}}	{{Yes}}	{{Yes}}	{{No}}	{{No}}
SkyExplorer	2024	colspan="2" {{Proprietary\|Proprietary}}	{{Yes}}	{{No}}	{{No}}	{{No}}	{{No}}
Sky Map	November 30, 2024 {{Cite web \|title=Releases 1.10.4\|url=https://github.com/sky-map-team/stardroid/releases/tag/1.10.4\|access-date=2025-01-18 \|website=GitHub}}	colspan="2" {{free\|Apache License, Version 2.0}}	{{No}}	{{No}}	{{No}}	{{Yes}}	{{No}}
SpaceEngine	December 5, 2024	colspan="2" {{Proprietary\|Proprietary}}	{{Yes}}	{{partial\|Yes (Proton){{cite web \|title="ProtonDB - Game details for SpaceEngine" \|url=https://www.protondb.com/app/314650 \|website=ProtonDB \|access-date=22 April 2022}} Native build Planned}}	{{Planned}}	{{No}}	{{No}}
XEphem	February 13, 2024{{Cite web \|title=XEphem \|url=https://xephem.github.io/XEphem/Site/xephem.html \|access-date=2024-12-18 \|website=xephem.github.io}}	colspan="2" {{free\|MIT License}}	{{No}}	{{Yes}}	{{Yes}}	{{No}}	{{No}}
WorldWide Telescope	July 12, 2022{{Cite web \|title=wwt-windows-client/WWTExplorer3d/CHANGELOG.md at release · WorldWideTelescope/wwt-windows-client \|url=https://github.com/WorldWideTelescope/wwt-windows-client/blob/release/WWTExplorer3d/CHANGELOG.md \|access-date=2024-12-18 \|website=GitHub \|language=en}}	colspan="2" {{free\|MIT License}}	{{Yes}}	{{No}}	{{No}}	{{No}}	{{No}}
Redshift	May 19, 2024	colspan="2" {{Proprietary\|Proprietary}}	{{Yes}}	{{No}}	{{Yes}}	{{Yes}}	{{Yes}}
SkySafari	December 10, 2024{{Cite web \|title=SkySafari 7 Pro - Apps on Google Play \|url=https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.simulationcurriculum.skysafari7pro \|access-date=2024-12-18 \|website=play.google.com \|language=en-US}}	colspan="2" {{Proprietary\|Proprietary}}	{{No}}	{{No}}	{{Yes}}	{{Yes}}	{{Yes}}
Starry Night	-	colspan="2" {{Proprietary\|Proprietary}}	{{Yes}}	{{No}}	{{Yes}}	{{No}}	{{No}}
Sky Guide	August 18, 2021	colspan="2" {{Proprietary\|Proprietary}}	{{No}}	{{No}}	{{No}}	{{No}}	{{Yes}}
TheSky	July 12, 2024{{Cite web \|title=Change Logs – Software Bisque \|url=https://www.bisque.com/thesky-change-log/#TheSkyChangeLog \|access-date=2024-12-18 \|language=en-US}}	colspan="2" {{Proprietary\|Proprietary}}	{{Yes}}	{{Yes}}	{{Yes}}	{{No}}	{{No}}
WinStars	December 28, 2023{{Cite web \|title=Download – WinStars 3 \|url=https://winstars.net/en/download/ \|access-date=2024-12-18 \|website=winstars.net}}	colspan="2" {{Proprietary\|Proprietary}}	{{Yes}}	{{Yes}}	{{No}}	{{Yes}}	{{No}}
Google Sky	-	colspan="2" {{Proprietary\|Proprietary}}	-	-	-	-	-
Digistar	-	colspan="2" {{Proprietary\|Proprietary}}	-	-	-	-	-
Shira Player (software)	May 20, 2024{{Cite web \|title=Shira Player \|url=https://www.sureyyasoft.com/index.php/en/planetarium-shiraproject/shiraplayer \|access-date=2024-12-18 \|website=www.sureyyasoft.com}}	colspan="2" {{free\|GPLv2}}	{{Yes}}	{{No}}	{{No}}	{{No}}	{{No}}
Shira Universe (software)	July 27, 2024{{Cite web \|title=Shira Universe \|url=https://www.sureyyasoft.com/index.php/en/planetarium-shiraproject/shira-universe \|access-date=2024-12-18 \|website=www.sureyyasoft.com}}	colspan="2" {{free\|MIT License}}	{{Yes}}	{{No}}	{{No}}	{{No}}	{{No}}
PlanetariumVR (virtual reality)	December 17, 2021	colspan="2" {{Proprietary\|Proprietary}}	{{Yes}}	{{No}}	{{No}}	{{No}}	{{No}}

References

Category:Educational software

Category:Entertainment software

Category:Astronomy software

Category:Planetarium technology

planetarium software

Comparison of planetarium software

See also

References