SpaceEngine v0.990.48.2050 - early access

SpaceEngine - is a 1:1 scale, science-based Universe simulator featuring billions of galaxies, nebulae, stars, and planets—all rendered at their full real-world scale. Explore Earth and our neighboring worlds in the Solar System, orbit a black hole in a galaxy billions of light-years away, or visit anything in between seamlessly with no transitions.

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All of space and time are yours to traverse. You can cruise between the stars at a million times the speed of light, accelerate time to watch the orbital motions of countless worlds unfold, and witness every procedurally generated planet with intricate 3D terrain and detailed textures. Every celestial object—from stars and galaxies to asteroids, comets, and even black holes—is instantly accessible at the click of a button.

In the Flight Simulator mode, spacecraft modeled with Newtonian physics and equipped with pilot-assist autopilot features (currently in early development but fully usable) let you fly anywhere in the universe. Creators are also welcome, as SpaceEngine supports mods and add-ons. You can create and share your own planets, star systems, galaxies, custom spacecraft models, GUI skins, and much more.

SpaceEngine’s planetarium capabilities cover several key areas:

Astronomy
• A diverse range of celestial objects is represented, including galaxies, nebulae, stars, star clusters, planets, moons, comets, and asteroids. Known objects are rendered using catalog data, while regions of space that lack direct observations feature procedurally generated galaxies, stars, and planetary systems.

Controls
• Explore the universe freely by moving seamlessly from any object to any distance—from surfaces to orbits, interstellar, and even intergalactic space. Movement is intuitive via “click and go,” free flight using the WASD keys or gamepad, and even time travel by accelerating, decelerating, or reversing time flow. Detailed interactive tutorials help you master the controls.

Graphics
• Discover volumetric 3D models of galaxies and nebulae complete with interstellar dust clouds and detailed landscapes on planets and stars. Many Solar System bodies utilize actual data from space missions enhanced with high-resolution texture packs. Expect realistic atmospheric scattering, eclipse shadows, animated auroras and comet tails, and even physically based light warping near black holes and neutron stars with dynamic accretion disks and jets.

Physics
• Enjoy realistic, physically based simulations of procedural objects such as galaxies, star systems, and planets, complete with accurate calculations of mass, radius, temperature, and atmospheric parameters. The orbital motions of planets, moons, and stars are precisely displayed, along with authentic spacecraft design concepts that include orbital motion, atmospheric flight models, and even Alcubierre warp drive physics.

Virtual Reality
• SpaceEngine natively supports Oculus and SteamVR (including HTC Vive, Valve Index, Windows Mixed Reality, and other headsets). While VR controllers can be used to select objects and navigate, it’s advised that new users first familiarize themselves with the 2D interface before diving into virtual reality.

Sound
• Enjoy original background music tracks composed by various artists with context-sensitive playback. Sound effects for planetary environments and spacecraft are in development, adding another layer of immersion.

Tools
• The built-in tutorials, searchable catalogs, scalable Universe map, and planetary system charts help you navigate and explore the cosmos. Save, export, and import locations to share with others, and keep track of your journeys with an automatic journal. A comprehensive “Wiki” info system provides extensive details about every encountered object, complete with hand-written descriptions where available, and various informational tools display orbital paths, labels, markers, and constellations.

Multi-language Support
• SpaceEngine is available in numerous languages, including English, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Dutch, Finnish, Swedish, Croatian, Czech, Polish, Ukrainian, Russian, Catalan, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean. Additional languages are continuously under development.

Modding
• The program is highly friendly for creators, supporting the creation and import of user add-ons such as catalogs, models, and textures for deep space objects, planets, and spacecraft. Community members frequently share custom spacecraft models—from historically accurate designs to those inspired by popular sci-fi franchises.

With SpaceEngine, the possibilities are limitless as you explore the entire cosmos with unprecedented detail and realism.