Stellarium

Tonight we’re bypassing the clouds, thanks to a powerful, free and open-source tool called Stellarium. And no, this isn’t a paid sponsorship, it’s just that good.

Stellarium is a comprehensive planetarium program that runs on Windows/Mac and is available for Android/iOS mobile devices, and also has a web-only version. Links to download are listed at the end.

Standley Lake Stargazing uses various software packages including Stellarium to generate graphics for presentations and outdoor demonstrations, and more recently our daily observing guides. Stellarium is one of the most feature-rich and user-friendly packages currently available, and to top it off it’s completely free, which is in line with our ethos of making the night sky available to everyone.

Attached are a few screenshots taken from the desktop version. You’ll find it incredibly easy to locate planets, constellations, satellites and more with a few simple controls that are completely customizable, letting you explore the night sky no matter what the weather.

A few examples:

-Locate Leo, Virgo, Bootes and the rest of the constellations every night

-Simulate Venus, Saturn and the Moon (or visit the surface of Mars)

-Predict local passes of the International Space Station or Hubble Space Telescope

-Read constellation lore and mythology

-Watch the sun rise from the Moon

-View the Milky Way from horizon to horizon