Calling all Carl Sagan wannabes: Have you been following the spectacular light show earlier this week due to the recent solar storms? Ever want to touch the stars with…well…your mouse? Download Celestia – a neat bit of freeware that looks awesome on HP PCs.
As a kid, I’ve was fascinated by the night skies (and seeing the Northern Lights remains on my bucket list). These days, Celestia can give a little taste of that childhood awe right from my desktop.
It’s also expandable, offering “a large catalog of stars, galaxies, planets, moons, asteroids, comets, and spacecraft.” You can download many add-ons, such as high-resolution surface textures and 3D models of spacecraft, including the Hubble Space Telescope and International Space Station. Celestia’s wide range of features goes well beyond what I would ever use, so I can’t speak to the true depth of it – but you’ll find an active community and forum of users that can.
Celestia looks impressive on just about any HP PC. I will say this: While it looks great on a TouchSmart PC, the software gets a little wonky when you try controlling it with your hand. So stick with a mouse. If you really feel compelled to reach out and touch the Earth, there’s always the Google Earth app on TouchSmart PCs. Try it for yourself, or, if you have kids, introduce them to the awe-inspiring expanse beyond our little blue dot of a planet.
(A trip to the planetarium couldn’t hurt either.)
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