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Celestia

Free, open-source 3D space simulator for flying through the solar system and beyond.

Open sourceAstronomy software
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About Celestia

Celestia is a real-time 3D simulation of space. Unlike most planetarium apps it does not keep you on Earth: you can travel to any planet or moon, visit more than 100,000 stars, or zoom out past the Milky Way, with an exponential zoom that spans galaxy clusters down to small spacecraft. A point-and-go interface takes you to any object, and solar system positions are calculated in real time at any speed you set. It can also act as a planetarium from the surface of any body. The catalogues can be extended with a large library of community add-ons, from high-resolution planet textures to spacecraft on real trajectories and fictional worlds, and you can create your own objects. Scripts let teachers build guided tours. Celestia is free and open source under the GPL, developed by volunteers, and runs on Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS and Android. Development is slower than in the early 2000s, and its sky charts and observing tools are basic compared with dedicated planetarium software.

Best for: Space enthusiasts and teachers who want to explore the universe in 3D rather than chart the night sky.

Pros and cons

What works

  • Free travel anywhere from planets to other galaxies
  • Large library of community add-ons
  • Free and open source on desktop and mobile

Why people leave

  • Few tools for planning real observing sessions
  • Add-on installation is manual and dated
  • Slower release cadence than Stellarium or KStars

Top Celestia alternatives

See all 2
  1. 1Stellarium logo
    Stellarium

    Free planetarium focused on an accurate view of the sky from Earth, with telescope control.

    66.5
  2. 2SkySafari logo
    SkySafari

    Paid mobile app with orbit mode and vast catalogues for observing on the go.

    59.6

Why people left Celestia

In reviewers' own words, from reviews of the apps they moved to. These are their opinions, not ours.

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Reviews

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Celestia: common questions

Is Celestia free?

Yes. Celestia is free, open-source software.

Is Celestia open source?

Yes. The source code is on GitHub at CelestiaProject/Celestia.

What platforms does Celestia run on?

Celestia is available for Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS and Android.

What are the best alternatives to Celestia?

The highest-ranked Celestia alternatives right now are Stellarium and SkySafari. See the full ranked list for pricing, platforms and verified facts.

See all 2 Celestia alternatives