CelestiaUsersGuide1-5-1

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Celestia Users GuideCelestia Users GuideFor version 1.5.1For version 1.5.1

Rev 1.5.1

July 2008


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Celestia Users Guide 2 of 48

Table of Contents

(li! title belo" to #o t$ere%

&ntrodution to Celestia&ntrodution to Celestia.......................................................................................................................'

i#$t )!y *e+oi#$t )!y *e+o....................................................................................................................................5)ri,ts)ri,ts....................................................................................................................................................5

-duational Journeys-duational Journeys...........................................................................................................................5

Celestia on i!i,edia and i!iboo!sCelestia on i!i,edia and i!iboo!s................................................................................................/

ro#ra+ do"nload and addonsro#ra+ do"nload and addons........................................................................................................./

Co+,uter ard"are Re3uire+entsCo+,uter ard"are Re3uire+ents...................................................................................................4

&nstallation U,datin# and Uninstallation&nstallation U,datin# and Uninstallation..........................................................................................8

General 6,eration and 7eyboard o++andsGeneral 6,eration and 7eyboard o++ands................................................................................10

T$e 6,enin# )reen...........................................................................................................................10

Field of ie" (F6%Field of ie" (F6%9 : s$ift ; leftli!;dra#< or : < or : .

Tellin# $ere ou ?reTellin# $ere ou ?re.......................................................................................................................'5

?dustin# Ti+e?dustin# Ti+e (T&B- B-U% :A>


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&ntrodution to Celestia&ntrodution to Celestia

Many of us have looked up at the stars on a dark night and wondered what it would be like to launch ourselves

into space and soar among the stars. What do the astronauts of the Space Shuttle really see when they look down

upon our beautiful Earth turning slowly below? What wonders might we encounter if we could visit Saturn

alongside the Cassinispacecraft and sail right through its rings? If you have ever wondered about these things

and would like to find the answers, we of the Celestiacommunity are happy to introduce you to Celestia

Celestia is a free real!time space simulation that lets you visually e"perience our universe in stunning three

dimensions. Celestiawas the initial inspiration and creation of #hris $aurel, a Seattle, W% computer programmer

who in &''(, decided to write a free software program to be made available to everyone on the world!wide!web

that would place you in control of a virtual reality world of the universe. )is vision and dedication gave birth to a

program that is unlike any other space simulation program in e"istence. Celestiadoesn*t confine you to the

surface of the Earth as do many other programs. Instead, #hris created a dynamic capability to travel throughout

the Solar System and elsewhere in space, at any speed, at any moment of time and in any direction you choose. If

you wish, you can fly via your own +hyperdrive spacecraft to visit stars within the spiral arms of the Milky Way

beyond the confines of our Sun, or leave the gala"y entirely to view the bigger universe from deep space. #hris

also insisted this program would be scientifically accurate - a true source of dynamic astronomical graphics.

When Celestiaversion (.' first appeared available for download on the Internet, space enthusiasts all over the

world discovered and uickly reali/ed the potential of this beautiful program. Within a year, many talented

people worldwide 0oined #hris in a collaborative volunteer effort to make Celestiainto not only agoodgraphical

space simulation but into agreatone, capable of producing a meticulously accurate virtual universe rivaling the

visual uality seen only in )ollywood films.

1hey have succeeded. %s of this writing, over 2,2'' members of the public are part of the Celestia forum

community. 3ver 4 million people have downloaded the program for use at home or school. It is in use in

homes, schools, government agencies and media outlets throughout the world. 1he contributor list grows daily

and includes talented graphic artists, computer programmers, astronomers, astrophysicists, planetarium directors,

animators, engineers, teachers and students, professionals from government, private occupations and ordinary

citi/ens in over &5 countries. 1ogether, they have created a world of space that utili/es not only the basic Celestiaprogram, but over 18gigabytesof add!ons and e"tras that truly bring your Celestiae"perience to life. We invite

you to 0oin the Celestiaforum by clicking here.

Celestia 1.5.1 is available free of charge for Windows, $inu", and Mac 3S 6 from

http788www.shatters.net8celestia8download.html . )opefully, you9ve already downloaded Celestiaand are ready to

install it and e"perience the beauty of space. :sing some of the add!ons available for the program, here is 0ust a

taste of what you will be able to encounter7

$earn the unbelievable si/e and magnitude of our universefirsthand, with a 0ourney from the

surface of Earth to the far reaches of the gala"ies - at hyperspeed.

Watch solar flares and prominences rising off the Sun and measure its rotation using sunspots.

)over over each of the planets in our Solar System as they rotate slowly below you. See clouds

drift by ;where applicable< and shadows being cast on mountains and craters as the Sun sets low.

=ly along withMariner10on its historic flyby ofMercury.

>isit the searing surface of Venusand view it in a panoramic 42' vista.

1ake a spin down to the Earth9s surface in your own hyperdrive spacecraft. Skim over the oceans

of Earth as you fly below te clouds. Soar back into space to see the lights come on in the cities of Earth.
http://www.shatters.net/forum/ucp.php?mode=register&sid=477fcbee9ef1ae09b7649d33f1fd1840http://www.shatters.net/celestia/download.htmlhttp://www.shatters.net/celestia/download.htmlhttp://www.shatters.net/forum/ucp.php?mode=register&sid=477fcbee9ef1ae09b7649d33f1fd1840http://www.shatters.net/celestia/download.html


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@e present as!"ollo 11lands on the Moon in (A2A, or fly by #"utni$1in (A5B shortly after its

launch.

Cende/vous with the%##or the&ubble #"ace 'elesco"e. %ttempt a docking at the ISS Shuttle

port.

Deer through the primary focus from inside the )ale 1elescope on Dalomar mountain.

>iew Earth9s Magnetic =ield from space and see the %urora glowing and shimmering.

isplay an internal 6!section of Earth and peer deeply into its tectonic layers and structure.

iscoverMiras it passes over the Cussian homeland with its cosmonaut crew onboard.

See the massive si/e of&urricane (atrinaas it makes landfall on Few 3rleans.

)over over Mar9s Gusev crater and Meridiani )lanu* and drop down to visit #"irit and

+""ortunity, then fly over to +ly*"us Monsand Valles Marinerisand fly through the canyon itself.

@e there in the year &'&A when the asteroid !"o"iswill approach Earth on a possible collision

course.

3bserve a spectacular lunar eclipse of our own Moonand a total solar eclipse on Earth.

Dosition yourself above,u"iterand watch as its large moons drift across the face of the planet,

casting multiple eclipse shadows on its banded clouds and Great -ed #"ot.

E"amine the actively erupting volcanoes on Gupiter9s moon %o. =ly through a spewing volcanic

plume.

)over far beyond #aturn, plunge through its rings, and count its 2' moons.

Witness Cassiniarrive in Saturn space in &''H and drop the &uygensprobe into the atmosphere

of 1itan in Ganuary &''5. =ollow&uygensdown toward a parachute landing on 1itan9s surface.

Gourney to the fro/en wasteland of )luto and its treemoons and see their icy coldness for

yourself.

1ake up station behind comet &alleyin (AB2 as its gaseous lavender tail streams out behind it

near Earth.

Seek out Ceres,/ris and Ma$e*a$e, our Solar System9s newest +dwarf planets.

=ly out to the edges of our Solar System and follow Voyagers1 and 2as they head to distant

stars.

Witness the impact of the ee" %*"actspacecraft onto the surface of comet 'e*"el1 in Guly

&''5.

Set your ship at faster!than!light speed and sail to -igel (entaurus !, located H.4 light years

away.

>iew the red glow of sunlight on liese 5B(c, an earthlike world orbiting it9s small red dwarf star.

1ravel in time to 4''' #E to witness giant mirrors melt the Martian polar ice caps and help to

terraformMarsinto a verdant world of water, plants and cities of the future.

1ravel far into the future and rende/vous with a colossal rotating #"ace#tationas it orbits Earth.

Gourney to the edges of a massive rotating lac$ &oleas it spins near its stellar companion.

Witness another @lack )ole swallowing its companion star.

1ravel to the heart ofetelgeuse, a distant Ced Supergiant star that will )ypernova someday.

See stellar creation from deep within the-osetteand/agleebulas, giant stellar nurseries.


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Celestia Users Guide of 48

3bserve for yourself the deep field gala"ies that were photographed by the &ubble #"ace

'elesco"e.

)ear the pulses of the new pulsar in the Crab ebula, spinning before you at over 4' times a

second.

Witness the end of Earth, as it is swallowed by our swelling Ced iant sun billions of years from

now. Gump at hyperspeed to the!ndro*edaspiral gala"y,M 8 located in the rich Virgo Cluster or the

beautiful Whirlpool gala"y, or visit over ten thousand gala"ies, accurately drawn.

#ruise ne"t to Cos*os5a revolutionary new spacecraft that may someday +sail on a wind of pure

sunlight.

1ravel backward in time H billion years to witness the planet ++r"eus catastrophically collide

with Earth to actually form ourMoon.

$earn what efforts are being taken to discover if e"traterrestrial intelligence e"ists in the universe.

1ravel in tandem with the U## /nter"risecommanded by #aptain Dicard as it battles theorg

/*"ire.

1ravel in the whimsical world of )ollywood and visit the StarWars Jworlds of 'atooine, /ndor

and&ot. =ly ne"t to the%*"erialeat#taror #tar estroyeras theMillenniu*6alconswoops in for

an attack.

=ly directly through a theoretical wormhole on your way to a distant solar system.

E"plore numerous fictional solar systems, complete with meticulously detailed, e"otic alien

civili/ations, terraformed moons, futuristic space stations, space fleets, and interstellar spacecraft.

1hese are 0ust a few of Celestia9s features. Each week, new features are being added by Celestiasprogrammers

and other talented contributors. It is a program undergoing a rapid evolution in computer graphics. %dd!on

features, for e"ample, will include entirely new solar systems with do/ens of planets and moons drawn in vivid

detail, sound effects, gaseous nebula clouds, new gala"ies, stars, globular clusters and spacecraft both real andimaginary. Deriodically as new features are added, this :ser9s uide will also be revised. If this list above

e"cites you, let9s get started on our 0ourney into the heart of Celestia.

i#$t )!y *e+oi#$t )!y *e+o

Celestiais a stunning program to observe and e"plore the Solar System and beyond. 1o help you discover a few

of its beauty and secrets, Celestiahas a short 0ourney already laid out for you. 1o see it, launch the program as

described below, and pull down the KFileL menu. Select N6,en )ri,tO. Favigate to theCelestia folder and

select the file namedN*e+o.elO. When done, press the:-s< key.

)ri,ts)ri,ts

Celestiadevelopers have created scores of other scripted 0ourneys that take you to a variety of fascinating places

as a spectator. 1o access and download them, visit Celestias +add!on repository website at

http788www.celestiamotherlode.net8catalog8scripts.php . ownload the script of your choice and place it in the

Celestia/Scripts folder located on your C9D drive, in your ro#ra+ Filesdirectory or in the M%# or $inu"
http://www.celestiamotherlode.net/catalog/scripts.phphttp://www.celestiamotherlode.net/catalog/scripts.php


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Celestia Users Guide of 48

=ortunately, volunteers have assembled a central repository for many of them. It is not complete but is growing

rapidly. Its web address is7http788www.celestiamotherlode.net8and should be your first stop for add!ons.

1he #elestia Educational %ctivities mentioned above contain a compilation of some of the best add!ons. %s

mentioned, the activities can be downloaded individually at no charge, or purchased as a # set. See the

educational website athttp788www.celestiamotherlode.net8catalog8educational.phpfor details.

ou can find another add!on site here7 http788www.ikiru.ch8celestia8inde".php?langRen. In addition, these sites all

have e"cellent add!ons to use7

#elestia matters

Draesepe*s =iles 1e"ture =oundry

Mike9s add!on list @19s #elestia add!ons

#elestia basic te"tures on9s #elestia #entral

Selden9s Cesources #artrite9s #elestia page

Gack9s spacecraft add!ons http788space!graphics.com8

Gim9s #elestia page Ma"im9s site

Dlease note that the above links may be temporary. Websites come and go based on member9s arrangements withhosting servers. )owever, the above sites are an e"cellent start. 1o see links to more of them, visit and browsethe forum athttp788shatters.net8forum8inde".php.

1he Celestiadefault program and package for computers running Microsoft WindowsJAB, 6D, or >ista is offered

as a fully +e"ecutable program. It will install itself onto your computer. 1he current version is Version 1.5.1,

and was released in early &''B. Celestia 1.5.1is also available for the Macintosh using the 3S 6 operatingsystem, and for $inu". 1he WindowsJ, M%# and $inu" versions are all available for download at Celestias

main site located at http788www.shatters.net8celestia8download.html .

%dditional customi/ed versions of Celestia can also be found at different websites of their authors. 3ne suchversion will be mentioned below.

Re3uired Ainu@ Aibraries7

Which version of Celestiayou choose to install depends upon which desktop environment you have installed. If

you do have E4, it is recommended that you choose the E version of #elestia. =or those running F3ME,

there is the option of downloading or compiling the F3ME front!end, which includes several integration

features with the desktop environment. 1here is also a simplified 1P interface, without F3ME features, for

those who prefer the minimum number of outside libraries.

Most distributions package Celestiathemselves. 1he CelestiaSource=orge download page also provides a pre!

compiled package with the 1P front!end.

%ll versions of Celestiafor $inu" reuire that you have 3pen$ installed. More and more distributions are

shipping with 3pen$, so if you9ve recently installed or re!installed $inu", there9s a good chance that youalready have a working 3pen$ configuration. In order to build Celestia, you need to have the 3pen$

development packages installed. Celestiareuires the image libraries lib,e#and lib,n#to both be present on all

up to date $inu" installations. In order to build the F3ME81P front!ends, the #t!#le@tlibrary is reuired.

%ll of these libraries and their reuired development packages should be available from your distribution.

%fter you9ve successfully built Celestia, you will want to be able to run it with hardware 4 acceleration. 1o take

full advantage of your graphics chip, download the P.or#driver provided by the maker of your video chip.
http://www.celestiamotherlode.net/http://www.celestiamotherlode.net/http://www.celestiamotherlode.net/catalog/educational.phphttp://www.celestiamotherlode.net/catalog/educational.phphttp://www.ikiru.ch/celestia/index.php?lang=enhttp://www.celestialmatters.org/http://www.shatters.net/~praesepe/files/http://www.shatters.net/~t00fri/texfoundry.php4http://mikecelestia.bravehost.com/downloadlist.htmhttp://www.bt.homepage.btinternet.co.uk/Celestia.htmhttp://celestia.cvs.sourceforge.net/celestia/celestia/textures/?sortby=datehttp://www.shatters.net/~impulse/Hub/Celestia_Hub.htmlhttp://www.lns.cornell.edu/~seb/celestia/index.htmlhttp://cartrite.myhosting247.com/index.htmlhttp://homepage.eircom.net/~jackcelestia/http://space-graphics.com/http://home.arcor.de/jimpage/http://celestia.ziegelstein.net/http://shatters.net/forum/index.phphttp://www.shatters.net/celestia/download.htmlhttp://www.shatters.net/celestia/download.htmlhttp://www.celestiamotherlode.net/http://www.celestiamotherlode.net/catalog/educational.phphttp://www.ikiru.ch/celestia/index.php?lang=enhttp://www.celestialmatters.org/http://www.shatters.net/~praesepe/files/http://www.shatters.net/~t00fri/texfoundry.php4http://mikecelestia.bravehost.com/downloadlist.htmhttp://www.bt.homepage.btinternet.co.uk/Celestia.htmhttp://celestia.cvs.sourceforge.net/celestia/celestia/textures/?sortby=datehttp://www.shatters.net/~impulse/Hub/Celestia_Hub.htmlhttp://www.lns.cornell.edu/~seb/celestia/index.htmlhttp://cartrite.myhosting247.com/index.htmlhttp://homepage.eircom.net/~jackcelestia/http://space-graphics.com/http://home.arcor.de/jimpage/http://celestia.ziegelstein.net/http://shatters.net/forum/index.phphttp://www.shatters.net/celestia/download.html


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Co+,uter ard"are Re3uire+entsCo+,uter ard"are Re3uire+ents

Celestiais a sophisticated program that not only positions and graphically depicts our complete Solar System in4T it also plots and tracks a sky full of thousands ;to millions< of stars in real time. 1his takes computer power

and computer memory. Celestiaalso has available hundreds of add!on files. Some of them are large model and

graphics files that reuire lots of C%M memory. 1hus, identifying what level of computer performance you need

to en0oy the program depends upon what level of detail you wish to achieve.

In general, to run the Celestia 1.5.1program with a reasonable number of add!ons, your computer should have the

following capabilities7

(. % #D: speed of at least ( )/

&. %n operating system running WindowsJAB, 6D, >ista, M%# 3S (' or $inu"

4. C%M memory of at least 5(& M@ ;( @ or more is preferred, based on the new screen si/e.

A< ou can also instruct Celestiato launch the program with a particular starting =3>, rather than si/ing it based

on your screen settings. 1o do so, locate the file named +start.el, which is in the Celestiamain irectory

folder. Ri#$tli!on it and choose the option that says, +o,en "it$. % list of programs on your computer

will appear. $ocate a te"t!editing program such asM#:ord)adorote"adand click 67. 1he start.elfilewill open and you9ll see a set of single line commands ;in English


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((< 1here are three levels of te"tures it can use. 1hey are +i#$Resolution Te@tures ;known as +$ires

te"tureserte" Shading is a computer graphics drawing techniue that

creates shades ;ha/e, shadows, specular reflections off water or ice, etc.< on Celestia ob0ects. 1o see such

shading, you must have a graphics card that renders shading via the +"en G> "rocess. Celestianow handles

>erte" Shading automatically. With higher end graphics cards, Celestia(.5.( gives you several choices for>erte" Shading. Each card manufacturer results in slightly different shading choices. =or e"ample, with

Fvidia brand video cards, there are five Cender paths7 Kasi Bultite@ture 6,en GA verte@ ,ro#ra+

6,en GA verte@Dvidia Co+biners and 6,en GA 2.0. Dressing the KCtrl ; L keys together will cycle

through the choices. % message will appear on your screen, stating what rendering choice you have selected.


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(A< 1hese shading choices all affect how fast your computer will draw the scene, and what kind of performance

you will see. 1he number of available render paths you can cycle through with K Ctrl ; L depends on thegraphics card and driver version you have. @y default, Celestiadetects the type of graphics card you have

and starts up your program with the highest uality rendering possible ;usually 3pen$ &.'


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)et ie" 6,tions (Render +enu%)et ie"6,tions (Render +enu%

&5< When you use Celestiafor the first time, you will need to choose some options that will tell the program how

you want things done. Celestia will remember these settings once you initially establish them. )owever,

during your subseuent use of Celestia, you may need to change or reset these options.

&2< *is,lay Bode9 1o open the Rendermenu, Kleftli!


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4(< +ie" 6,tions is the third option in the Rendermenu, and an important one. Aeftli!this option to

open the ie" 6,tionsdialog bo". % list of choices will appear. -9 T$e ie" 6,tions dialo# bo@ $as

$an#ed for version 1.5.1. eciding which ones you want is a personal choice. If your computer is a newer

model, we recommend the options listed in the image to the right, and described below. If your computer is

slower or older and Celestiaappears to be running slowly, deselect some of these options, as suggested in the

following discussion7

Fote7 eyboard shortcuts to these options are listed in brackets below.

%lso note that Celestiawill remember which bo"es are checked so that you will not have to check or uncheck

them each time you run the program.

Gala@ies : U < Celestiacomes with a gala"y

data file that tells the program the

position of over 10000 #ala@ies inthe night sky and what type they are.

When this option is selected, Celestia

will dynamically draw each gala"ybased upon its type and magnitude,and position it in the proper place in

space. Since gala"ies are dim ob0ects

and most are not visible without

telescopes, not all (',''' will be

drawn at once.

Celestiawill also draw the huge band

of starry ha/e we know as the Milky

Way. Selecting the option, therefore,

will dramatically improve your

Celestia e"perience and you will be

able to see the Milky Way across thesky and several gala"ies in the distance. ou can even travel to them in your spaceship.

6igure ; clic$ ereto visit 6igure 8 ; clic$ ereto visit

Gala@y Kri#$tness :)$ift; ( < or : )$ift; % < 1hese two sets of keystrokes increase or decrease the brightness ofall gala"ies, including the Milky Way, when pressed. When visiting gala"ies outside of the

Milky Way, boosting brightness can improve your view of distant gala"ies on different

computer monitors and under different room lighting levels. Dress the keyboard controls

above to reduce or increase brightness through &' levels.
http://cel//Follow/Sol:Neptune/2003-07-27T19:57:41.50593?x=gBsxyYHcLmU8AQ&y=CCWjpEzN6Qc&z=sN/oooNI9TljAQ&ow=0.302846&ox=-0.068833&oy=-0.839002&oz=-0.446791&select=Sol:Neptune&fov=45.750866&ts=1.000000&ltd=0&p=0&rf=57239&lm=0&ver=2http://cel//Follow/Sol:Neptune/2003-07-27T19:58:01.12989?x=gMZ8A4RoL2U8AQ&y=dpmgq3XH6Qc&z=sJbwY53J9DljAQ&ow=0.302846&ox=-0.068833&oy=-0.839002&oz=-0.446791&select=Sol:Neptune&fov=45.750866&ts=1.000000&ltd=0&p=0&rf=57235&lm=0&ver=2http://cel//Follow/Sol:Neptune/2003-07-27T19:58:01.12989?x=gMZ8A4RoL2U8AQ&y=dpmgq3XH6Qc&z=sJbwY53J9DljAQ&ow=0.302846&ox=-0.068833&oy=-0.839002&oz=-0.446791&select=Sol:Neptune&fov=45.750866&ts=1.000000&ltd=0&p=0&rf=57235&lm=0&ver=2http://cel//Follow/Sol:Neptune/2003-07-27T19:58:01.12989?x=gMZ8A4RoL2U8AQ&y=dpmgq3XH6Qc&z=sJbwY53J9DljAQ&ow=0.302846&ox=-0.068833&oy=-0.839002&oz=-0.446791&select=Sol:Neptune&fov=45.750866&ts=1.000000&ltd=0&p=0&rf=57235&lm=0&ver=2http://cel//Follow/Sol:Neptune/2003-07-27T19:57:41.50593?x=gBsxyYHcLmU8AQ&y=CCWjpEzN6Qc&z=sN/oooNI9TljAQ&ow=0.302846&ox=-0.068833&oy=-0.839002&oz=-0.446791&select=Sol:Neptune&fov=45.750866&ts=1.000000&ltd=0&p=0&rf=57239&lm=0&ver=2http://cel//Follow/Sol:Neptune/2003-07-27T19:58:01.12989?x=gMZ8A4RoL2U8AQ&y=dpmgq3XH6Qc&z=sJbwY53J9DljAQ&ow=0.302846&ox=-0.068833&oy=-0.839002&oz=-0.446791&select=Sol:Neptune&fov=45.750866&ts=1.000000&ltd=0&p=0&rf=57235&lm=0&ver=2


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Gala@y bri#$tness "ill also res,ond to t$e ?utoBa# !eys t$at ontrol star bri#$tness.

1hey are linked ;see later discussion


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#elestia add!on designers are also using the cloud te"ture layer to add new overlay te"tures to

#elestia in addition to clouds.

6igure 12 ; clic$ ereto visit 6igure 13 9 clic$ ereto visit

Cloud )$ado"s (no !eyboard s$ortut% e" to Celestia 1.5.1 is the ability to compute where on a planet

a shadow would fall from a cloud overhead, and draw that shadow. %s the clouds move, sodoes the shadow across the ground. It adds to the realism of the scenes, particularly on Earth.

ote t$at loud s$ado"s do not do "ell "it$ all ,lanets "it$ louds. Gupiter, for e"ample,

is covered in clouds and when cloud shadows are active, the entire planet takes on a dark gray

tone, making the planet look unnatural. #urrently, we recommend using cloud shadows

3F$ with Earth, and perhaps a few other fictional earth!like planets created by add!on

designers.

Rin# )$ado"s (no !eyboard s$ortut% Celestia can continually draw the position of shadows that a

planet9s ring casts on a planet and conversely, the shadow a planet will cast on its rings. 1he

effect is dynamic and elegant.

6igure 14 ; -ing #adows enabled ; clic$ereto visit 6igure 1 ; -ing #adows disabled ?clic$ereto visit

-li,se )$ado"s : Ctrl ; -< Celestiacan compute the actual position of the shadows a moon or planet will

cast on a planet8moon as the ob0ect passes in front of the Sun ;a solar eclipse


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6igure 17 ; clic$ ereto visit 6igure 1 ; clic$ ereto visit

%o ecli"sing ,u"iter5 an e@a*"le of /cli"se #adows. ! total solar ecli"se over !frica5 as seen fro* s"ace

i#$t )ide Ai#$ts :Ctrl ; A< Celestiahas the ability to light up the night sky. =rom space, the thousands of

cities across our continents are abla/e with light so bright that they can be seen vividly fromhundreds of km up. 1urning on this option commands Celestiato add lights to the nighttime

vista seen from space above Earth. Fight te"tures are also used in add!ons to show fictional

cities or volcanic lava flows at night and even glowing aurora.

6igure 18 ? clic$ ereto visit 6igure 1 ; clic$ ereto visit

/art5 #un and ter*inator wit nigt9ligts enabled ,u"iters *oon %o and its glowing volcanoes

Co+et Tails : Ctrl ; T< $en loser to t$e )un t$an t$e

orbit of Ju,iter (about 5 / au or loser%

Celestia will accurately place a gaseous comettail behind all comets, properly si/ed and

oriented to always point away from the Sun.When a comet is far out in space far from solar

heat, no tail will be displayed.

6igure 20 9Venus and co*et %$aya9Aang in 2002

Clic$ereto visit

Celestial Grid : < Celestiaplaces an euatorial coordinate grid on the screen showing you the celestial

position and direction you are facing in space. 1he grid follows the standard convention of

-igt !scensionandeclinationused in %stronomy.
http://cel//Follow/Sol:Jupiter/0003-03-03T09:15:50.60138?x=wN5RhXBP/PL9/////////w&y=xEi9fWiNk0w&z=AAimW8iWrrhS&ow=0.058961&ox=0.027025&oy=-0.997721&oz=-0.018593&select=Sol:Jupiter&fov=28.591583&ts=1.000000&ltd=0&p=0&rf=57239&lm=0&ver=2http://cel//Follow/Sol:Earth/2006-03-29T09:56:25.31228?x=KFkgIyES9XHw/////////w&y=sCdsIvyXx////////////w&z=XaQpwiCmeUkC&ow=0.680679&ox=0.148502&oy=-0.715521&oz=-0.051506&select=Sol:Earth&fov=28.591581&ts=1.000000&ltd=0&p=0&rf=57239&lm=0&ver=2http://cel//Follow/Sol:Earth/2006-03-29T09:56:25.31228?x=KFkgIyES9XHw/////////w&y=sCdsIvyXx////////////w&z=XaQpwiCmeUkC&ow=0.680679&ox=0.148502&oy=-0.715521&oz=-0.051506&select=Sol:Earth&fov=28.591581&ts=1.000000&ltd=0&p=0&rf=57239&lm=0&ver=2http://cel//Follow/Sol:Earth/2006-03-29T09:56:25.31228?x=KFkgIyES9XHw/////////w&y=sCdsIvyXx////////////w&z=XaQpwiCmeUkC&ow=0.680679&ox=0.148502&oy=-0.715521&oz=-0.051506&select=Sol:Earth&fov=28.591581&ts=1.000000&ltd=0&p=0&rf=57239&lm=0&ver=2http://cel//Follow/Sol:Earth/2006-03-29T00:48:05.34532?x=6NjgZruGVW3w/////////w&y=aebzLEB0qv///////////w&z=IAEfLzhStC4C&ow=0.344297&ox=0.116827&oy=0.929621&oz=0.060128&select=Sol:Earth&fov=28.591581&ts=1.000000&ltd=0&p=0&rf=57239&lm=0&ver=2http://cel//Follow/Sol:Earth/2006-03-29T00:48:05.34532?x=6NjgZruGVW3w/////////w&y=aebzLEB0qv///////////w&z=IAEfLzhStC4C&ow=0.344297&ox=0.116827&oy=0.929621&oz=0.060128&select=Sol:Earth&fov=28.591581&ts=1.000000&ltd=0&p=0&rf=57239&lm=0&ver=2http://cel//Follow/Sol:Jupiter:Io/2006-03-30T06:20:26.19532?x=wsEkwi+xX3y//////////w&y=rglR/kqd96wB&z=AH2t3NmndYU4&ow=-0.972118&ox=-0.042106&oy=0.133567&oz=0.188077&select=Sol:Jupiter:Io&fov=28.591581&ts=1.000000&ltd=0&p=0&rf=57239&lm=0&ver=2http://cel//Follow/Sol:Venus/2002-02-12T09:47:57.05364?x=Pj/R+yr4TsQK&y=MLXWmy8xXVP//////////w&z=0DiTd4Fn6wkE&ow=0.982752&ox=0.184783&oy=-0.006932&oz=0.002259&select=Sol:Venus&fov=28.863497&ts=1.000000&ltd=0&p=0&rf=57239&lm=0&ver=2http://cel//Follow/Sol:Venus/2002-02-12T09:47:57.05364?x=Pj/R+yr4TsQK&y=MLXWmy8xXVP//////////w&z=0DiTd4Fn6wkE&ow=0.982752&ox=0.184783&oy=-0.006932&oz=0.002259&select=Sol:Venus&fov=28.863497&ts=1.000000&ltd=0&p=0&rf=57239&lm=0&ver=2http://cel//Follow/Sol:Jupiter/0003-03-03T09:15:50.60138?x=wN5RhXBP/PL9/////////w&y=xEi9fWiNk0w&z=AAimW8iWrrhS&ow=0.058961&ox=0.027025&oy=-0.997721&oz=-0.018593&select=Sol:Jupiter&fov=28.591583&ts=1.000000&ltd=0&p=0&rf=57239&lm=0&ver=2http://cel//Follow/Sol:Earth/2006-03-29T09:56:25.31228?x=KFkgIyES9XHw/////////w&y=sCdsIvyXx////////////w&z=XaQpwiCmeUkC&ow=0.680679&ox=0.148502&oy=-0.715521&oz=-0.051506&select=Sol:Earth&fov=28.591581&ts=1.000000&ltd=0&p=0&rf=57239&lm=0&ver=2http://cel//Follow/Sol:Earth/2006-03-29T00:48:05.34532?x=6NjgZruGVW3w/////////w&y=aebzLEB0qv///////////w&z=IAEfLzhStC4C&ow=0.344297&ox=0.116827&oy=0.929621&oz=0.060128&select=Sol:Earth&fov=28.591581&ts=1.000000&ltd=0&p=0&rf=57239&lm=0&ver=2http://cel//Follow/Sol:Jupiter:Io/2006-03-30T06:20:26.19532?x=wsEkwi+xX3y//////////w&y=rglR/kqd96wB&z=AH2t3NmndYU4&ow=-0.972118&ox=-0.042106&oy=0.133567&oz=0.188077&select=Sol:Jupiter:Io&fov=28.591581&ts=1.000000&ltd=0&p=0&rf=57239&lm=0&ver=2http://cel//Follow/Sol:Venus/2002-02-12T09:47:57.05364?x=Pj/R+yr4TsQK&y=MLXWmy8xXVP//////////w&z=0DiTd4Fn6wkE&ow=0.982752&ox=0.184783&oy=-0.006932&oz=0.002259&select=Sol:Venus&fov=28.863497&ts=1.000000&ltd=0&p=0&rf=57239&lm=0&ver=2


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=or e"ample, you can turn the grid on

temporarily to identify direction of an ob0ect

in Celestia then go to a real telescope and

swing to that appro"imate coordinate. ou

can also use the #elestial rid to help you

decide where to place a fictional add!on or tolocate an ob0ect whose C% and E# you

know from another source ;click the imageigt set to one #a*e scene wit !*bient >igt set to >ow.

?ntialiasin# ! KCtrlPP L ! 3nthe Rendermenu, select +?ntialiasin#. 1hese are instructions to Celestiato

use certain graphical processing and smoothing techniues when it draws lines on thevie"sreen. In general, ?ntialiasin#evens out the lines used to draw sharp edges of

spacecraft, orbit paths and constellation figures.

Fote7 eyboard shortcuts for turning on and off ;toggling< the options and features described above, along with

other keyboard shortcuts, are listed in printable format at the end of this document.

?lternate Te@tures Aua and )ound?lternate Te@tures Aua and )ound

4&


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you can command Celestiato load an image of the Earth as it may have looked H billion years ago, soon after

it formed. Its surface will be covered with craters and lava flows. %nother %lternate Surface available forEarth is this latitude and longitude grid ;figure 44i*it of (nowledge

42. Aua -duation ToolsDoverlaysK)$ift ; &L O In &''N, a gifted programmer named >incent iangiulio added

an e"citing new feature to Celestia. nown asL(a E'( )ools, it is available as an add!on from this location7

http788vincent.gian.club.fr8celestia8$uaZEduZ1oolsZ(.(./ip

ownload and install it in your e"tras folder. Cead the enclosed +Cead!me file for further instructions.

$ua Edu 1ools provides a new set of features and commands to

Celestia. When Celestia is launched, the program will open

with a te"t +toolkit active on the right side of the screen. 1he

kit includes sliders to controls many of Celestias parameters,latitude and longitude readouts, plus a compass overlay ;when

close to a planet


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simulates the instrument panel of the F%S% space shuttle, looking out its front window ;see figure


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G. 1ap the K[>L !ey on t$e nu+eri !ey,adof the keyboard. 1he view will swing

;ya"< to the left

. 1ap the K[ /L !ey on t$e nu+eri !ey,ad. 1he view will swing ;ya"< to the right

as a whole

&. 1ap the K[ 5L !ey on t$e nu+eri !ey,adto stop all pitch, roll and yaw movement

J. )old down the K)$iftL key and press one of the K?rro"L keys ;e.g. K )$ift; L.

ou will +orbit around the ob0ect in view, either left8right, or up8down. 1his is convenient to see all of

an ob0ect uickly

Fote. 1he speed with which the view turns when you press the above keys is initially set at a particular value ;(&'< in one of

the files that Celestiauses to operate. 1hat file is called elestia.f#, and can be found in the main ;root< directory of theCelestiafolder. If you find that your view is turning too fast or too slowly for your taste when you press a movement key,that file can be opened by you and the Rotate ?eleration;turning speed< of the above keys can be lowered or increased.

1o do so, double!click on the file. If a menu comes up asking you which program you wish to use to open the document,

choose +WordDad ;for Windows systems< or the proper plain te"t editor for M%# and $inu" systems. When open, locate

the line NRotate?eleration 120 and change the number either higher ;to turn even faster< or lower ;to turn more slowly


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)eletin# 6bets (#eneral%)eletin# 6bets (#eneral%>0% In Celestia, you will usually have some ob0ect selected. If so, the program will list its name in the upper left

corner. It can be a star, planet, dwarf planet, moon, asteroid, comet, spacecraft, gala"y, nebula, misc. ob0ect or

location. 1he simplest way to select most ob0ects is to ,ointat it with your mouse and Kleftli!>% 1o cancel a current seletion, hit the KKa!s,aeL key once on the keyboard. 1o cancel a navi#ation

command such as Follo"or Center, press the K-s5%Fote7 Dressing the KEscL key will not only cancel a navigation command, it will also cancel any scripts that

are running. If you are running a script, this may not be what you wanted to do.


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>/% KRi#$tCli!L9 1here is another way to select ob0ects and is one you will use often. 1o demonstrate it, click

here. ou will be taken to a position above the planet, Gupiter. KRi#$tli!L on Gupiter to bring up a menu ofoptions. 3ne of them is +)atellites. #hoose it and a list of Gupiter9s moons will appear. Aeftli!on any

one of them and press the KGL key to travel to it. ou can use the right!click feature when the ob0ect you visit

orbits a star or planet directly. If there is no +Satellites option in the menu that appears with a right!click,

that means the planet or moon has nothing else orbiting it.

%ll of these keyboard key shortcuts are again summari/ed in the handy list at the end of this document.

avi#ation Benuavi#ation Benu

>4%Celestiahas a complete menu at the top of the program dedicated to space navigation that you can use often.

Some of the choices are single commands ;e.g. O Select Sol


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surface ;center of screen


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positioned above %frica all the time. %s the Earth turns below, so will you. 1o see that effect, click here.

1ime has been sped up. Many of our satellites ;navigation, weather, spy, DS, 1> and radio< are insynchronous orbit around Earth. ou can use the command in fact, to hover above a particular satellite as it

orbits its host planet or moon. 1he keyboard shortcut for Sync 3rbit is KL.

)rac Selection KTL

5L% 1his command tells Celestiato track a selected ob0ect as it moves through space, keeping it centered in view.1he keyboard shortcut for Tra! )eletionis KTL. =or e"ample, click here. #elestia is tracking the asteroid

aspra. Watch it pass close by you. It is dramatic

/0% When Tra!is selected, you can /oom in or out with the Ko+eL or K-ndL keys, and8or Kri#$tli! and

dra#L the mouse and your tracking viewpoint will change. =or e"ample, try ri#$tli!dra#of aspra so

that it comes at you from another direction.

Fote7 1racking will stay activated on a space ob0ect and your screen will remain pointed at it, even if you

select another space ob0ect. ou +ust anel tra!in#on the first ob0ect before you seek to view

another ob0ect. 1o cancel tracking, simply press the KTL key again. 1ry it with aspra

%lso note that tracking cannot occur if you are already +=ollowing or in +Sync 3rbit around another ob0ect.

@efore you can track that ob0ect, you must first release your hold on it by pressing the KEscL key. 1hen, press

the K1L key to track it.

C&ase Selection KNL

/1% %lthough not in the Favigation Menu, this command is available by pressing the uotation K N L key on the

keyboard K)$ift P NL. It instructs Celestia to chase a selected ob0ect in space. It is similar to the +Sync

3rbit command.

Loc Selection K)$ift ; 9
http://cel//Follow/Sol:Mars:Phobos/2000-01-01T08:44:56.65000?x=wpch0LbORuAV&y=tWSwhmCqL3X//////////w&z=hRIWb9qbqkk&ow=-0.131473&ox=-0.079242&oy=-0.985323&oz=-0.074666&select=Sol:Mars:Phobos&fov=47.108952&ts=0.000000&ltd=0&p=0&rf=40855&lm=49152&ver=2http://cel//Follow/Sol:Mars:Phobos/2000-01-01T08:44:56.65000?x=wpch0LbORuAV&y=tWSwhmCqL3X//////////w&z=hRIWb9qbqkk&ow=-0.131473&ox=-0.079242&oy=-0.985323&oz=-0.074666&select=Sol:Mars:Phobos&fov=47.108952&ts=0.000000&ltd=0&p=0&rf=40855&lm=49152&ver=2http://cel//Follow/Sol:Mars:Phobos/2000-01-01T08:44:56.65000?x=wpch0LbORuAV&y=tWSwhmCqL3X//////////w&z=hRIWb9qbqkk&ow=-0.131473&ox=-0.079242&oy=-0.985323&oz=-0.074666&select=Sol:Mars:Phobos&fov=47.108952&ts=0.000000&ltd=0&p=0&rf=40855&lm=49152&ver=2


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115% lease note t$at el9 DDURAs are $y,erlin!s. ou s$ould only li! on t$e+ one (sin#leli! not

doubleli!%. &n fat if you li! one t"ie it "ill laun$ t"o o,ies of Celestia at one. )ine

Celestiauses a #reat deal of o+,uter +e+ory t"o runnin# ,ro#ra+s ould lo! u, your

o+,uter. &f everyt$in# see+s to sto, or slo" do"n after usin# a el9 DDURA $y,erlin! or if t$e

sreen vie" does stran#e t$in#s you ,robably li!ed it t"ie. Close one or bot$ of t$e Celestia

,ro#ra+s reli! ust one and t$in#s s$ould i+,rove.

11/% 1o save your position in Celestiaas a hyperlink, press either KCtrl;CL or KCtrl;&)L keys ;Fote O IFS is

an abbreviation for the +Insert key


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Bultivie"Bultivie" (&- B-U%

11L% Celestiacan also show you views from different camera positions simultaneously. 1his can be very helpful

for visuali/ing phenomena like eclipses, where you want to watch a view from the Sun, the eclipsed planet

or moon, and the occluding body all at the same time. Dlanetary encounters by spacecraft are another

category of events where multiple views can be illuminating.

120% When multiple views are enabled, one of

the views is the active view and is marked

by a thin highlighting frame around it. %ll

Movement commands will affect 0ust the

active view. 3ther commands such as

setting the time or date or Cender menu

commands are global, affecting all views.

Few views are created through the

keyboard commands of KCtrl;UL and

KCtrl;RL. KCtrl;Uiew menu setting is syn$roniQe ti+e. 3rdinarily, time is synchroni/ed between allviews, but if you deselect time synchroni/ation, you can set the current time in each view independently by

clicking within the view frame and using the 1ime menu to change the date or time. 1urning time

synchroni/ation back on resets the time in all views to that of the active view. Fote that the time rate

cannot be set per!viewT the rate commands and pause affect all views.

Ri#$tCli! +enusRi#$tCli! +enus

122% Ri#$tli!in#an ob0ect inCelestiaopens a menu that gives you some useful tools for working with the

program. =or e"ample, right!clicking on Mars in your viewscreen will open a menu with B entries. 1heGoto Follo"and )yn6rbitcommands are maneuver commands covered earlier.

12'% 1he &nfomenu, when selected, is a hyperlink and takes you to the internet, to an %stronomy website named

Fineplanets.org. Celestiadesigners pre!selected this site as a good one which discusses facts about the

planets and moons of our solar system. )ad you right!clicked on a star instead and selected + info, you

would be taken to the Simbad catalog where information about the star can be found.

12>% 1he ne"t menu item is Referene etors. 1hese are tools you can use if you are a #elestia designer, or

for your own purposes. Each is self!e"planatory. Select each of them and try them out


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125% )atellitesmay be present orbiting that ob0ect. Mars for e"ample, has two moons. @oth will be listed here

under Satellites. Spacecraft in orbit around that ob0ect will also be listed here as Satellites. If you selectone, you can then press the KCL, KGL. KFL, KL pr KT


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+=3> reading in the lower right corner. If it is greater than B'o, the program is lost. =ortunately, it is

simple to overcome. Ma"imi/e Celestia, then simply click on the cel7 88url link again. 1hat usually doesitou can also avoid minimi/ing the program when using cel7 88urls.

4. 3n occasion, you will find Celestiapausing a long time. Derhaps the screen even turns white. @e patient.

1hat means the program is loading a big data file and can take up to (' O 4' seconds for it to load. 1his is

particularly true for media video files.

H. Sometimes, a computer is capable enough to run Celestia, but cannot run Celestiaplus several other

programs and documents ;MS Word reuires uite a bit of computer resources< at the same time. If you

are also running a music program and an internet browser, things can get real slow. If that happens, close

everything that is not absolutely needed for operating the computer.

6t$er *ou+entation ?vailable6t$er *ou+entation ?vailable

1his concludes the general :ser9s uide to operating Celestia 1.5.1. In addition to the Wikibooks and Wikipedia

references made earlier, the #elestia community, has prepared a variety of other tutorial and manuals that teachyou what image files are, how Celestialoads and uses them, how to create scripted 0ourneys and how data files of

various kinds are used to instruct Celestia in what to do and where to do it. $ook for them under the

*ou+entationlink at http788www.celestiamotherlode.netand in some of the web pages of #elestia contributorsreferenced earlier.

CreditsCredits

1his Users +(i'eVersion 1.5.1 was written by =rank regorio, a #elestia forum volunteer in Manassas, >%..#opyright [ %ugust &''B ! =rank regorio

CelestiaO #opyright [ &''', &''B ! #hris $aurel courtesy of 7

evelopers7 #hris $aurel

#lint Weisbrod

=ridger Schrempp

@ob Ippolito

#hristophe 1eyssier

an Camsey

rant )utchison

Dat Suwalski

1oti

Dermission is granted to freely modify, copy and distribute this document under the terms of the F: =ree ocumentation $icense,

>ersion &.' or any later version published by the =ree Software =oundationT with no Invariant Sections, no =ront!#over 1e"ts, and with no

@ack!#over 1e"ts.
http://www.celestiamotherlode.net/http://www.celestiamotherlode.net/


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Celestia 7eyboard and Bouse Co++and )u++ary

F%S% has prepared a convenient graphical key chart, which is included below.

ou can print this page, or click on the image below, enlarge it and print it at any si/e you wish.


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;ou can also print the following three pages as a convenient keystroke summary< ;e.g. R\ telescopic viewiew ;=3>

CelestiaUsersGuide1-5-1

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