4 ms·

Celestia – Real-time 3D visualization of space

140 points by LordNibbler 1y ago

vodou 1y ago
Great project! Been using it for years together with VTS [1] to visualize real-time and propagated satellite positions and attitudes, and also star tracker and payload "beams". [1] https://timeloop.fr/vts/ https://timeloop.fr/vts/
a_c 1y ago
If someone from celestia is reading this, the english documentation link is not working https://celestiaproject.space/cc/cel-guide-en https://celestiaproject.space/cc/cel-guide-en (Accessed from https://celestiaproject.space/guides.html https://celestiaproject.space/guides.html)
- hdNLouie 1y ago
  Celestia161-UsersGuide.pdf at: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1dxMnahknnVjrckqWOyJhvuS8IA0BCT0l/view https://drive.google.com/file/d/1dxMnahknnVjrckqWOyJhvuS8IA0... from: https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Celestia https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Celestia
tempodox 1y ago
Newer versions for macOS can be downloaded from GitHub (despite the link name): https://github.com/celestiamobile/MobileCelestia/releases https://github.com/celestiamobile/MobileCelestia/releases
- florieger 1y ago
  That's the iOS repo.
  - tempodox 1y ago
    Despite the link name, you can find macOS downloads there.
i4k 1y ago
This website does not work with Oculus Quest browser, it goes to the "oh noes" page, i guess the meta browser has some issues with the bot detection algorithm.
- lifeinthevoid 1y ago
  Brave also exhibits this behavior, turning off shields fixes the issue.
deleted 1y ago
[deleted]
aktuel 1y ago
Is there an option to increase the font size? The text is unreadably small on my 28" 4k display.
anonzzzies 1y ago
Hidden well enough on the linked site, but easy to find in search; there are mobile versions which work well on tablets etc I just found out. That's this monday lost! [0] https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=space.celestia.mobilecelestia https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=space.celestia...
- easyKL 1y ago
  With some differences in features for the privacy conscious: https://f-droid.org/packages/space.celestia.mobilecelestia/ https://f-droid.org/packages/space.celestia.mobilecelestia/
stefanv 1y ago
Mobile downloads: https://celestia.mobi/download https://celestia.mobi/download
moritonal 1y ago
One thing I kind of always want to see when I find cool resources like this are "How are you funded?". Because if it's not clear then have to there's a high risk it's a rug-pull, virus or might one day be either. There's just too many secretive "Here's a super free perfect tool for you!" rug-pulls out there. "We're funded by the goodness of a team of volunteers" is a great answer.
- dotancohen 1y ago
  Are you new to the concept of open source?
  - moritonal 1y ago
    That's rude. Yes, I've contributed to a few. However, here is a list of open-source software that've notoriously turned to unethical decisions when pressured into getting funding. Audacity: Free until 2021 when they were bought and introduced telemetry. Streamlabs: Open-source but tried to monetise and attack the OBS brand Bitwarden forks: Various forks of open-source code that included monetisation OpenOffice: Great desktop apps until bought by Oracle CCleaner: "free" software that contained trojens. HoverZoom: Chrome plugin sold by original dev, new update included spyware and ads. As I said, I don't mind if the answer is "we are volunteers who love this", but I do ask that formal webpage presenting a product, that even has an FAQ page, explains it's funding model. Their github (https://github.com/CelestiaProject/Celestia https://github.com/CelestiaProject/Celestia) is much better at this.
    - OrderlyTiamat 1y ago
      It is my experience that if there is a github for a project like this, that's usually a much better source of information than the landing page.
    - hdNLouie 1y ago
      moritonal, did you also just `conveniently' forget: Github? And heinous: openAI: Microsoft has invested US$13 billion in OpenAI, and is entitled to 49% of OpenAI Global, LLC's profits, capped at an estimated 10x their investment.
CodeCompost 1y ago
I'm surprised there isn't a version that runs on browsers using Emscripten.
dvh 1y ago
Why was it removed from debian?
- drybjed 1y ago
  https://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=809916 https://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=809916
trklausss 1y ago
Now somebody gotta do it as a mod for KSP, it would be sick to have this level of detail and launch missions through the solar system. Yes, I know Real Solar System is a thing, but still :D
dysoco 1y ago
When I was a kid I used to play a bit with Celestia, but I remember I was pretty scared whilst using it... there was some kind of dread/anxiety I felt just looking at the vast void of space and something giant like Jupiter or Saturn next to it, I always thought an UFO or something was gonna pop out of nowhere. I don't know if this feeling is common or not but I do remember reading about someone here on on Reddit feeling a similar thing, I believe it to be similar to thalassophobia.
- aeve890 1y ago
  Same! I lost days looking for the most distant galaxies and traveling to them. I always felt the same anxiety of the emptiness thinking why the universe doesn't give us a way to explore it, why I was born so early or in a _lame low tech planet_ (in a lame low tech country) or how incredibly diverse could be the life out there. I remember being fascinated by the sheer number of galaxies and then "wait, this app doesn't even zoom _into_ galaxies", which is another level of infinityness, and that was just overwhelming. Man, I feel depressed now.
  - florbo 1y ago
    If you want to fly around galaxies and feel insignificant, Space Engine is pretty good for that. It's not a true simulation, as most things are procedurally generated unless an addon is installed, but it certainly captures the scale of things.
    - aeve890 1y ago
      I gotta check. Now I got my fix with Elite Dangerous.
- Rooster61 1y ago
  This. While it wasn't Celestia (I was playing around with Orbiter), I ran into a very similar, very specific scenario. In Orbiter, you can fly to planets using orbital mechanics a la KSP but on a true scale. Frustrated that I was having trouble getting to Saturn using a Hohmann transfer, I eventually said fuck it and just input coordinates that put me just a little ways outside of Saturn's atmosphere. Upon hitting the button to warp to the coordinates, I was presented with an entirely flat, beige plane. Thinking I had screwed up the coordinates, I began zooming out. Since Orbiter renders to scale rather than the scaled down planets in KSP, I began to realize that there was no mistake, and just how small my ship was relative to Saturn. It literally gave me a shiver. It's so hard for us humans to really perceive how mindbendingly big things are in space in a direct sense.
septune 1y ago
Decades ago, I patched Celestia to add a Star Trek–style warp speed selector, only to realize that even at maximum warp, I was still crawling along like a snail. At least it was a fun hack.
sintezcs 1y ago
Is it possible to run it on Meta Quest 3? Or maybe someone could recommend the similar project for a VR headset? Thanks!

140 points by LordNibbler 1y ago

Great project! Been using it for years together with VTS [1] to visualize real-time and propagated satellite positions and attitudes, and also star tracker and payload "beams". [1] https://timeloop.fr/vts/ https://timeloop.fr/vts/

a_c 1y ago

If someone from celestia is reading this, the english documentation link is not working https://celestiaproject.space/cc/cel-guide-en https://celestiaproject.space/cc/cel-guide-en (Accessed from https://celestiaproject.space/guides.html https://celestiaproject.space/guides.html)

hdNLouie 1y ago
Celestia161-UsersGuide.pdf at: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1dxMnahknnVjrckqWOyJhvuS8IA0BCT0l/view https://drive.google.com/file/d/1dxMnahknnVjrckqWOyJhvuS8IA0... from: https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Celestia https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Celestia

tempodox 1y ago

Newer versions for macOS can be downloaded from GitHub (despite the link name): https://github.com/celestiamobile/MobileCelestia/releases https://github.com/celestiamobile/MobileCelestia/releases

florieger 1y ago
That's the iOS repo.
- tempodox 1y ago
  Despite the link name, you can find macOS downloads there.

i4k 1y ago

This website does not work with Oculus Quest browser, it goes to the "oh noes" page, i guess the meta browser has some issues with the bot detection algorithm.

lifeinthevoid 1y ago
Brave also exhibits this behavior, turning off shields fixes the issue.

deleted 1y ago

[deleted]

aktuel 1y ago

Is there an option to increase the font size? The text is unreadably small on my 28" 4k display.

anonzzzies 1y ago

Hidden well enough on the linked site, but easy to find in search; there are mobile versions which work well on tablets etc I just found out. That's this monday lost! [0] https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=space.celestia.mobilecelestia https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=space.celestia...

easyKL 1y ago
With some differences in features for the privacy conscious: https://f-droid.org/packages/space.celestia.mobilecelestia/ https://f-droid.org/packages/space.celestia.mobilecelestia/

stefanv 1y ago

Mobile downloads: https://celestia.mobi/download https://celestia.mobi/download

moritonal 1y ago

One thing I kind of always want to see when I find cool resources like this are "How are you funded?". Because if it's not clear then have to there's a high risk it's a rug-pull, virus or might one day be either. There's just too many secretive "Here's a super free perfect tool for you!" rug-pulls out there. "We're funded by the goodness of a team of volunteers" is a great answer.

dotancohen 1y ago
Are you new to the concept of open source?
- moritonal 1y ago
  That's rude. Yes, I've contributed to a few. However, here is a list of open-source software that've notoriously turned to unethical decisions when pressured into getting funding. Audacity: Free until 2021 when they were bought and introduced telemetry. Streamlabs: Open-source but tried to monetise and attack the OBS brand Bitwarden forks: Various forks of open-source code that included monetisation OpenOffice: Great desktop apps until bought by Oracle CCleaner: "free" software that contained trojens. HoverZoom: Chrome plugin sold by original dev, new update included spyware and ads. As I said, I don't mind if the answer is "we are volunteers who love this", but I do ask that formal webpage presenting a product, that even has an FAQ page, explains it's funding model. Their github (https://github.com/CelestiaProject/Celestia https://github.com/CelestiaProject/Celestia) is much better at this.
  - OrderlyTiamat 1y ago
    It is my experience that if there is a github for a project like this, that's usually a much better source of information than the landing page.
  - hdNLouie 1y ago
    moritonal, did you also just `conveniently' forget: Github? And heinous: openAI: Microsoft has invested US$13 billion in OpenAI, and is entitled to 49% of OpenAI Global, LLC's profits, capped at an estimated 10x their investment.

CodeCompost 1y ago

I'm surprised there isn't a version that runs on browsers using Emscripten.

dvh 1y ago

Why was it removed from debian?

drybjed 1y ago
https://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=809916 https://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=809916

trklausss 1y ago

Now somebody gotta do it as a mod for KSP, it would be sick to have this level of detail and launch missions through the solar system. Yes, I know Real Solar System is a thing, but still :D

dysoco 1y ago

When I was a kid I used to play a bit with Celestia, but I remember I was pretty scared whilst using it... there was some kind of dread/anxiety I felt just looking at the vast void of space and something giant like Jupiter or Saturn next to it, I always thought an UFO or something was gonna pop out of nowhere. I don't know if this feeling is common or not but I do remember reading about someone here on on Reddit feeling a similar thing, I believe it to be similar to thalassophobia.

aeve890 1y ago
Same! I lost days looking for the most distant galaxies and traveling to them. I always felt the same anxiety of the emptiness thinking why the universe doesn't give us a way to explore it, why I was born so early or in a _lame low tech planet_ (in a lame low tech country) or how incredibly diverse could be the life out there. I remember being fascinated by the sheer number of galaxies and then "wait, this app doesn't even zoom _into_ galaxies", which is another level of infinityness, and that was just overwhelming. Man, I feel depressed now.
- florbo 1y ago
  If you want to fly around galaxies and feel insignificant, Space Engine is pretty good for that. It's not a true simulation, as most things are procedurally generated unless an addon is installed, but it certainly captures the scale of things.
  - aeve890 1y ago
    I gotta check. Now I got my fix with Elite Dangerous.
Rooster61 1y ago
This. While it wasn't Celestia (I was playing around with Orbiter), I ran into a very similar, very specific scenario. In Orbiter, you can fly to planets using orbital mechanics a la KSP but on a true scale. Frustrated that I was having trouble getting to Saturn using a Hohmann transfer, I eventually said fuck it and just input coordinates that put me just a little ways outside of Saturn's atmosphere. Upon hitting the button to warp to the coordinates, I was presented with an entirely flat, beige plane. Thinking I had screwed up the coordinates, I began zooming out. Since Orbiter renders to scale rather than the scaled down planets in KSP, I began to realize that there was no mistake, and just how small my ship was relative to Saturn. It literally gave me a shiver. It's so hard for us humans to really perceive how mindbendingly big things are in space in a direct sense.

septune 1y ago

Decades ago, I patched Celestia to add a Star Trek–style warp speed selector, only to realize that even at maximum warp, I was still crawling along like a snail. At least it was a fun hack.

sintezcs 1y ago

Is it possible to run it on Meta Quest 3? Or maybe someone could recommend the similar project for a VR headset? Thanks!