Celestia

While humanity still has a long way to go before the much anticipated space travel, the truth is that there are ways to explore the Universe and discover the many wonders of the cosmos. Celestia is an open-source program that enables you to navigate the solar system and the nearby starts in a 3D environment.

The program comes with a clean, user-friendly interface and has the role of giving you a tour of the solar system and some stars closest to Earth. In case you are wondering as to why you cannot explore more of the Universe, especially given the high number of new planets and galaxies discovered, this is because the app relies on the Hipparcos database, which includes stars within 20 light years of the sun.

You can search for objects using common names as well as catalog numbers or Bayer designation. According to the developer, the app should work with HIP, HD and SAO catalogs. In case you are wondering why so little objects are included, then you should know that the app solely includes the ones that have a precise measurement of their position based on star databases of the official releases.

The application comes with a solar system browser where you can easily select a planet or satellite and go to it directly. At the same time, you can use the Select Object from the Navigation menu to type in an object and check it out closely.

Another noteworthy feature is the star browser that enables you to explore around 100 of the nearest stars. Regardless of the object selected, the app displays valuable information about them, including, absolute magnitude, distance, radius or phase angle. As you would expect, the app comes with shortcuts to make exploration simpler.

Celestia is a great tool for anyone who is just getting started with astronomy and would like to learn more about the solar system and nearby stars. Although it allows you to travel in real-time through the cosmos, the tool is lightweight and does not have high system requirements.