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Stellarium

Stellarium/stellarium

Free, open source 3D planetarium software that renders a realistic night sky in real time on desktop computers.

Open-source alternative to:Sky GuideSkySafari

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Last commit
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What is it?

Stellarium is a planetarium application that shows the sky in 3D as it looks to the naked eye, through binoculars, or through a small telescope. It runs on Linux, Windows, macOS and Haiku, and uses OpenGL for real-time rendering.

Users can use it to identify stars, planets and constellations for a chosen location and time, and to see how the sky changes over days or years. It is aimed at amateur astronomers, educators and anyone curious about what is overhead.

The project is released under the GPL-2.0 license and is written mainly in C++, with Qt used for its user interface.

Key features

  • 01Renders a realistic 3D sky in real time with OpenGL.
  • 02Runs on Linux, Windows, macOS and Haiku.
  • 03Shows the sky as seen with the naked eye, binoculars or a small telescope.
  • 04Lets you set location and time to view the sky at any moment.
  • 05Built with C++ and Qt, under the GPL-2.0 license.

Use cases

  • Identifying stars, planets and constellations before an observing session.
  • Planning when to observe a particular object from a given location.
  • Teaching astronomy in classrooms or outreach events.
  • Exploring how the night sky changes across dates and years.

Quick start

  1. 1

    Read the User Guide's Getting Started section for installation

  2. 2

    To build from source, follow the BUILDING.md instructions

Things to know

  • Licensed under GPL-2.0, a copyleft license that requires derivative works to remain open source.
  • It is a desktop application, not a mobile or web app.

Topics

#astronomy#planetarium#3d-graphics#opengl#qt#cpp#science#c-plus-plus#qt5#qt6

FAQ

What is stellarium?
Free, open source 3D planetarium software that renders a realistic night sky in real time on desktop computers. Stellarium is a planetarium application that shows the sky in 3D as it looks to the naked eye, through binoculars, or through a small telescope. It runs on Linux, Windows, macOS and Haiku, and uses OpenGL for real-time rendering.
Is stellarium free to use? What license does it have?
stellarium is open source under the GPL-2.0 license. Check the license terms before using it in commercial products.
Is stellarium still maintained?
Actively maintained. The last commit to stellarium was on Nov 5, 2026.
What can I use stellarium for?
Identifying stars, planets and constellations before an observing session. Planning when to observe a particular object from a given location. Teaching astronomy in classrooms or outreach events. Exploring how the night sky changes across dates and years.
How do I install stellarium?
Read the User Guide's Getting Started section for installation To build from source, follow the BUILDING.md instructions
Where can I get stellarium?
The source code and installation instructions are on GitHub: https://github.com/Stellarium/stellarium

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