Other optional views include the Cardinal points (North, South, West, East), drawings and names of constellations, and the Azimuthal and Equatorial grids – all of which can be toggled, of course.Ī unique option enables toggling an ‘atmosphere’, simulating a gradual darkening of the sky that causes the stars to “come out”. For instance, when looking to the south at midday, the Sun is situated directly in front of the user. Stellarium uses a photo-realistic view, meaning that the display changes as the day goes by at noon, the user sees a photographed countryside horizon, with blue skies above and the Sun correctly positioned. Next, the users can set the level of detail to be displayed, at which point the real advantage of the program is revealed. Those who have never looked at the sky through a telescope may even find the experience exhilarating.Īfter downloading a relatively small installation file (about 9MB), users can effortlessly install the program and set up their global location using a virtual atlas or by entering the user’s latitude and longitude. Although more advanced users might require a more sophisticated program, Stellarium is a good option for beginners. Those who are interested in astronomy as a hobby will probably enjoy the new software, as it offers a wide variety of sky views with an interactive interface.

Apparently, Stellarium is more accurate than other similar programs, and since it is an open-source software, can be installed and used for free. Stellarium, a new planetarium software, enables users to view a realistic image of the night skies.

Stellarium free software