The ability to view the night sky is a must for any astronomer, but a planetarium provides even more opportunities to see distant stars and observe astronomical phenomena. Since this free open-source planetarium was last featured in the 04-26-2013 issue of the Scout Report, it has added a browser version and mobile app as alternatives to downloading the program.
Stellarium is a free, open-source home planetarium for people who wonder, "What's out there?" The program includes over 600,000 stars and 80,000 deep-sky objects, with the option to download additional catalogues of over 177 million stars and over 1 million deep-sky objects. There are also constellations from more than 20 cultures, the full Messier catalogue of nebulae imagery, visualizations of shooting stars and comets, simulated eclipses and supernovae, and realistic sunrises and sunsets. The user interface is quite easy to grasp, as it gives users the ability to zoom in and out or use a fisheye projection as a way to experience a bit of that true planetarium feel. Also, the program offers the ability to add new solar system objects from online resources and users' own deep-sky objects. Stellarium is compatible with most operating systems and available in multiple languages.
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