HELP - www.celestia4all.com

All "celestia4all" scripts load in a matter of seconds. Many load in less than one second.

CELESTIA strives to give you "the outer space experience" in an accurate and photo-realistic way.

Anyone with reasonable reading skills, even a child, can use our scripts!

1.6.x & 1.4.1 LINKS

If you have CELESTIA 1.6.x (that is, 1.6.0 or 1.6.1 etc.) or 1.4.1 correctly installed and running in an open window, you're in for a definite treat! This website's links labeled either "1.6.x" and "1.4.1" will display their cosmic events and destinations in your open CELESTIA window! Just click on the link for the CELESTIA version that you have running and open on your computer. One click and . . . YOU'RE THERE! For example: here's a 1997 triple simultaneous solar eclipse on Jupiter (1.6.x) (1.4.1)

As above, "1.6.x" and "1.4.1" links always follow a short description of what they will display when you click on them. Running the link not only displays the described cosmic wonder, it also allows you to examine CELESTIA's settings that created it. This will help you learn to create your own views of awesome events in CELESTIA!

Here are examples that show how CELESTIA depicts the Cassini spacecraft as Titan, the largest moon of Saturn, streaks past: (1.6.x) (1.4.1). (Be patient; links may take a second or two to load.) You will find pairs of links like this throughout this website, and you may run them as often as you like. So feel free to show them to all of your friends!

By the way, if you run the link of Cassini above and watch until it nears Saturn twice, you'll also see Rhea, another large moon of Saturn, streak past! Check it out.

Prepare to be taken all over our incredible Solar System, and far, far beyond!

UTC: CELESTIA'S DISPLAY OF TIME

You don't have to look far to find that a surprising number of time standards exist. Most of the world's timekeeping is reckoned in Universal Time (UT), a standard based on the Earth's rotation. Essentially the same as Greenwich Mean Time (GMT), this is adequate for most daily activities. Still, because the Earth's rotation is not perfectly constant, UT is not accurate enough for astronomical timekeeping.

On the other hand, the highly regular behavior of certain atoms provides a superior basis for measuring time with high accuracy. Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), based on atomic time, is just one of several standards used by astronomers. It is adjusted to essentially stay "in step" with Universal Time, and is what CELESTIA's clock displays in the upper right corner of its window. Universal Time and Coordinated Universal Time differ by less than a second, so for most purposes the two can be considered equal.

Note: if CELESTIA's clock is not displayed in the top-right corner of its window, just press the V key until you see it. Generally, it is best to run CELESTIA with its clock displayed, as it tells you how fast time is passing during any simulation.

"SAFARI" USERS . . .

SAFARI may incorrectly read "celestia4all's" main menu and other graphics unless you view them in Actual Size. To insure your successful navigation of "celestia4all", please do as follows.

In "SAFARI's" View drop-down menu:

1. select Actual Size (its text is grey when it is selected),

2. if Zoom Text Only isn't check-marked, check-mark it.

With these settings, you'll be able to enjoy "celestia4all" to the fullest.

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FAQs: "celestia4all"

Why was "celestia4all" created?
As our Intro page explains in much more detail, "celestia4all" was created for all persons (young and old alike). It was created to help them both discover and "experience" the true wonders of the universe by making the science of astronomy engaging, entertaining and fun! One way this is achieved is by making the free software, "CELESTIA", easy "for all" users. ↑ Back ↑
What does "celestia4all" offer?
The best way to find out is by going to Our Shop page and Freebies page. You can also go right to our Catalog. From simple computer "wallpapers" to helpful utilities, from informative and intriging videos to powerful scripts that predict countless awesome sky events like eclipses, from clever add-ons that "supercharge" CELESTIA to beautiful and instructive posters and more, you will find a growing roster of eminently useful and highly engaging creations here at "celestia4all". ↑ Back ↑
Do I have to be an astronomer to understand all of this stuff?
NOT AT ALL! Yes, at times you may encounter terms and concepts that are new to you, but we'll let you in on a secret: astronomy is really not that difficult when you approach it with the right tools. We believe that our many offerings ARE the right tools, not only for introducing astronomy, but also for keeping it fresh and exciting for you as you delve deeper into the wonders of the cosmos. ↑ Back ↑
What's the best thing about the scripts that you offer in "celestia4all"?
They provide incredibly varied ways for you to view events, distant worlds and fundamental yet exciting cosmic phenomena. Often a single view or perspective will not tell the entire story, while 6 or 7 views—simultaneous ones at that—will make it instantly clear. In addition, the scripts—like CELESTIA itself—are interactive; they allow you to change numerous conditions so you can determine how they affect what you're observing. Even so, the best thing about our scripts is that they are simply AWESOME! ↑ Back ↑
How fast do "celestia4all" scripts load?
Very fast! All load in just a matter of seconds. Many load in less than one second. ↑ Back ↑
How easy is it to install a "celestia4all" script?
It could hardly be easier. Each script comes in a "zipped" folder containing all of the components that it needs to function. After you have downloaded and "un-zipped" that folder, just copy it into CELESTIA's extras folder. Then restart CELESTIA and you're ready to go! ↑ Back ↑
How easy is it to use a "celestia4all" script?
Extremely easy! Each script comes with "onboard" notes that explain the concepts demonstrated, what controls it employs, how they work, etc. Anyone with reasonable reading skills, even a child, can use our scripts! ↑ Back ↑
Are your offerings available anywhere else, or only from the "celestia4all" website?
Our offerings are legally available only from here at "celestia4all". If you ever find that anyone else is selling or distributing our offerings, we would greatly appreciate your letting us know about it. ↑ Back ↑
Does the "celestia4all" site look the same in all web browsers?
It does on newer ones. Compared to older web browsers, new versions are much more consistent at rendering a site's pages. For example, the left image below shows how most current browsers render Subject Tabs on our pages. However, IE6 (an older browser which an increasing number of major websites no longer support) renders our Tabs as shown to the right, clipping their upper left corners.
Moreover, some older browsers like IE6 cannot access some features on this site. So, if you're still using an older browser, you may want to upgrade to a newer version. Whatever browser you decide to use, if you encounter any trouble using any features on this site, please contact us. ↑ Back ↑
Why does "celestia4all" use a bold font throughout the website?
For two reasons: first, new high-res screens make it difficult to read fonts composed of thin, single-pixel-wide elements; second, the bold font is also easier to read as its color is of medium contrast on a black background. You'll find that, compared to the text of many sites, ours is much easier to read on new high-resolution screens, internet phones and devices like the iPad. ↑ Back ↑
Is "celestia4all" a "green" website?
We think it is, though we've found no "official agreement" on just what a "green site" is. We will tell you that all of our offerings are only available as downloads from this site. There are no disks, packaging or shipping materials to end up in and "over-stress" already bloated landfills. ↑ Back ↑

FAQs: CELESTIA

Where can I get CELESTIA?
We recommend that you download it from its official download site to insure that you are getting the latest "official" version. ↑ Back ↑
Is CELESTIA really free?
As amazing as it sounds, yes, it is! Our Intro page touches on this briefly, but go to CELESTIA's Home Page if you need more convincing. ↑ Back ↑
Is there much support for CELESTIA?
There is. Of course, you'll find a lot of info right here on the "celestia4all" site. Plus, CELESTIA's Home Page offers loads of links to an impressive amount of resources. ↑ Back ↑
Is CELESTIA really as fun as you say?
It's MORE fun than we say! Actually it is difficult to express just how fun and inspiring "and rewarding" CELESTIA is when it's made easier to use. An entire universe is yours to enjoy! ↑ Back ↑
If I'm a parent, should I encourage my children to use CELESTIA?
We hope you'll allow us to answer that question with one of our own. Would you prefer that your children immerse themselves in endless strings of mindless video games, OR spend more time in a fact-based enviroment that might inspire another Einstein or Curie? ↑ Back ↑
Does CELESTIA really "immerse" you in an environment as realistic as the ones found in video games?
Indeed, it does! CELESTIA strives to give you "the outer space experience" in an accurate and photo-realistic way. And "celestia4all" helps to heighten that experience dramatically. ↑ Back ↑
But didn't you say somewhere on this site that CELESTIA can be hard to use?
We did, and that's exactly why we created "celestia4all". CELESTIA does not have to be difficult. Our offerings on Our Shop page and Freebies page make CELESTIA easy to use AND easy to learn! ↑ Back ↑
What's the best way to get started with CELESTIA?
We believe that our scripts provide one of the best, if not the best, way to get started with CELESTIA. Why? Because they immediately show you what's possible: multiple views, varying vantage points, incredible perspectives you may have never imagined. What's more, they set up many scenarios and events that you can examine at your leisure, as often and as many times as you wish. By noting how we've set up our views, you can quickly learn to set up your own. ↑ Back ↑
What is a script anyway?
It's just a separate "mini-program" that can be run inside of CELESTIA. Running one is simplicity itself. You open it in the File drop-down of CELESTIA's main menu. ↑ Back ↑
How accurate are your scripts?
As accurate as CELESTIA itself. (See the next question.) ↑ Back ↑
How accurate is CELESTIA?
Probably more accurate than you'll ever need. Employing a partial version of the highly regarded VSOP87 theory, CELESTIA's standard download plots the positions of the major planets with considerable accuracy for millenia. For even higher accuracy, users may also download JPL's DE ephemerides and SPICE kernals for the major planets and other bodies as well. Our Earth's Moon appears to be plotted with very good accuracy from year -2000 through year +3999. ↑ Back ↑
Why do you support two versions of CELESTIA? Why not just the lastest version?
The latest version is 1.6.x. But version 1.4.1 was highly popular, and many users report that they still use it. Moreover, there are some significant differences "under the hood" between versions 1.6.x and 1.4.1. ↑ Back ↑
What are the differences between CELESTIA 1.6.x and 1.4.1?
These differences will soon become the subject of a separate part of this page. Examples are: a) version 1.6.x depicts the barycenter of the Solar System; b) cel://url's for version 1.6.x will not work with version 1.4.1 and vice-versa; c) version 1.6.x depicts the precession of the Equinoxes, though 1.4.1 does not; d) CELESTIA's "follow" and "lock" features work differently in the two versions; e) version 1.6.x includes improvements to both the CEL and CELX scripting languages, etc. Suffice it to say, there will be a lot of room for discussion here. ↑ Back ↑
Are there any significant differences between Windows and Mac versions of CELESTIA?
While Windows and Mac versions of CELESTIA function similarly in most respects, current Mac versions do not let you capture videos of your journeys. (But all Windows and Mac versions do permit capturing any CELESTIA screen as a JPG image.) In addition, because Windows and Mac versions handle text in slightly different ways, scripts with a lot of text may not look the same in the respective versions. Perhaps the greatest drawback of Mac versions is that they allow NO "unsynchronizing" of time when you run multiple views (frames). This means that—since time has to be the same in all Mac views—current Mac versions cannot support scripts that create calendars. ↑ Back ↑
Does this mean that you prefer the Windows versions of CELESTIA?
We do, simply because they are the most full-featured versions. However, we don't think you'll be disappointed in CELESTIA if you need to run it on a Mac. ↑ Back ↑
There are Linux versions of CELESTIA; why don't you support them?
First, we simply do not have the resources. Second, because the official Linux version of CELESTIA has lagged behind the others. The current official Linux version is only at v. 1.4.1. ↑ Back ↑
Are there any considerations for using CELESTIA on a Windows 7 PC?
On a PC running the Windows 7 operating system, it is preferable to install CELESTIA in a directory (folder) other than the C:\Programs directory. For example, first create a directory named C:\Celestia and install CELESTIA there. ↑ Back ↑

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