 SpaceEngine's logo | |
| Original author(s) | Vladimir Romanyuk |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Cosmographic Software |
| Initial release | 0.74 / June 2010 |
| Stable release | 0.990.47.2015
/ 18 April, 2024 |
| Preview release | 0.990.46.1980
/ September 20, 2023 |
| Written in | |
| Operating system | |
| Size | 4 GB (software only) to 50 GB (with all optional DLCs: Solar System HD texture packs) |
| Available in | More than 20 languages |
List of languages English, Catalan, Croatian, Chinese, Czech, Spanish, Finnish, French, German, Hungarian, Indonesian, Italian, Dutch, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Slovak, Swedish, Armenian, Turkish, Japanese, Korean, etc. | |
| Type | Space simulation |
| License | Proprietary[1] |
| Website | spaceengine |
SpaceEngine is an interactive 3D planetarium and astronomy software[2] initially developed by Russian astronomer and programmer Vladimir Romanyuk.[3] Development is now continued by Cosmographic Software, an American company founded by Romanyuk and the SpaceEngine Team in February 2022, based in Connecticut.
SpaceEngine creates a 1:1 scale three-dimensional planetarium representing the entire observable universe, combining real astronomical data with scientifically accurate procedural generation algorithms. Users can travel through space in any direction or at any speed and can move forwards or backwards in time.[4] SpaceEngine is currently in beta status. Up to version 0.9.8.0E, released in August 2017, it was available as freeware for Microsoft Windows. Version 0.990 beta, the first paid edition, was released on Steam in June 2019. The program fully supports VR headsets.
Properties of objects, such as temperature, mass, radius, and spectrum, are presented on the HUD and in an accessible information window. Users can observe a wide range of celestial objects, from small asteroids and moons to large galaxy clusters, similar to other simulators like Celestia, OpenSpace, Gaia Sky, and Nightshade NG. The default version of SpaceEngine includes over 130,000 real objects, featuring stars from the Hipparcos catalog, galaxies from the NGC and IC catalogs, many well-known nebulae, and all known exoplanets and their stars.[1]
- ^ a b Vladimir, Romanyuk. "Space Engine - Frequently Asked Questions". en.spaceengine.org. Archived from the original on 2015-09-30. Retrieved 2017-01-15.
- ^ "SpaceEngine".
The world's first science-based photorealistic interactive 3D planetarium that models the entire Universe, using procedural generation for uncharted areas.
- ^ Thomas Tamblyn (October 21, 2014). "Man Builds Massive Virtual Universe You Can Download And Explore". The Huffington Post. Retrieved October 21, 2014.
- ^ Cara Ellison (March 11, 2013). "2012: A Space Engine". Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Retrieved January 22, 2014.