What is your opinion of the program Celestia?

Question

I heard about it on Answers, I looked it up, and it looks cool. Does anyone have any opinions on it before I download it?

Answer 1

I like Google Sky much better.  I'm not sure what value Celestia is, but whatever "slops your dripper"... :D

When you de-install, be ready to manually clean your registry as the uninstall does not do a very thorough job...

Answer 2

It's interesting to a degree, but we know far too little about the universe to make it really interesting.  Download it.  Also download Orbiter, and get the sound add-on at Dan's site.

Brant, you must be mourning the loss of Microsoft's space flight simulator.  However, it didn't have the prograde and retrograde indicators that Orbiter does.  But it did have other fictional star systems, and a black hole at the center of the galaxy.

Answer 3

c**p.... i know i held too much expectation but i has vritually nothing out of this galaxy... which is all i'm really intrested in.

Answer 4

I love it.  If it's still free, it's worth every penny!

Okay, I know.  That sounded facetious, but really, this program is very cool.  It has great graphics and is exactly what I had been wishing for, for about 20 years.  There are many controls to learn, but you can tour the solar system and do some fun projects.

Answer 5

Depends on what your looking for. If you want a good teaching/animation tool, then this is the right program. But if you want it to be used as a reference to spot planets in the night sky, then this program is a waste of memory.

I downloaded it to use as a demonstration tool in one of my presentations, and it worked great. The part I am most impressed with is the way it will allow you to view the orbits in real time, slow motion, or fast motion. It really is a good program for that. It also isn't limited to the solar system, but also other stars in the Milky Way galaxy.

I would recommend it as a tool. But if its for your own learning benefit, then it might not be so great.

The 3D graphics on my computer are amazing, and it isn't slow (at least not on my computer) like some would expect judging by the rich 3D graphics.

EDIT: Like some of the other answers said, its worth the free price, but not worth buying. I mean to say that it is free, so expect something you would get out of a great free program.

For galaxies, then Google Sky is for you because Celestia doesn't give you a good look at the galaxies.

Its more about the area surrounding our solar system, and of course, the solar system.

Another thing that I found cool was the animation of certain satelites orbiting Earth like the Hubble.

One con is, you can't zoom in too close on the planets, or you loose the detail.

Another cool thing is when it shows the city lights on the side of the Earth that the sun isn't shining on. I would say it is more fun for you, and more of a teaching/demonstration tool than it is an actual tool to learn from. It doesn't help at all when it comes to trying to find celestial bodies with your telescope. For that I recomend "StaryNight".