An improved virtual tour of the galaxy.
Platform : Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows NT, Windows 2000, Windows XP
Type: freeware
Manufacturer: Chris Laurel
Size: 11.8MB
Rating: 5
Verdict:
Delightfully well designed. A hugely useful and interesting program for all
ages.
System Requirements:
Absolute minimum: Pentium class processor, 64Mb RAM. A 3D graphics
accelerator will vastly improve Celestia's performance.
Celestia offers a 3D simulation of the galaxy and beyond. Everything is
simulated in real time, meaning that what you see is actually happening right
now. Time can be speeded up, slowed down or even reversed, giving you a glimpse
into the past or the future.
A demo can be run for a whistle-stop tour of the immediate solar system,
including the Earth, Saturn, the Sun and other phenomenon such as star
formations and gas clouds. Snippets of information appear as you travel.
To get more involved, you need to take control. Using mouse and keyboard
commands you can float through the galaxy at your will. Find something
interesting and it can be zoomed in on, followed on its voyage across the galaxy
and much more.
A Tour facility lets you jump directly to any element - star, planet,
asteroid or comet - and displays brief related data on-screen.
More detailed information on an object can be displayed in a web page, acting
as a starting point for further study.
Screen grabs or movies can be saved at any point - great for use as a
teaching aid.
This latest release adds Eclipse shadow rendering, orbital calculations for
major moons, and phase lock and chase camera modes. This means you can now view
eclipses on Earth, Saturn and Uranus, and view comets, asteroids and spacecraft
on the move. Various bugs have also been fixed.