Orrery vs Stellarium

Struggling to choose between Orrery and Stellarium? Both products offer unique advantages, making it a tough decision.

Orrery is a Education & Reference solution with tags like astronomy, solar-system, planets, educational.

It boasts features such as 3D interactive model of the solar system, Realistic orbital paths and rotations, Zoom in on planets and moons, Change date/time to see positions in the past or future, Change simulation speed, Add custom objects like spacecraft, Supports modding and plugins and pros including Free and open source, Cross-platform (Windows, Mac, Linux), Educational and intuitive interface, Highly customizable and extensible, Active development community, Lightweight and fast performance.

On the other hand, Stellarium is a Education & Reference product tagged with planetarium, stars, constellations, astronomy, open-source.

Its standout features include Realistic 3D rendering of the night sky, Accurate positions of stars, constellations, planets, and satellites, Support for multiple languages and cultures, Telescope control integration, Scriptable via plugins, Multiplatform - runs on Windows, Mac, Linux, and it shines with pros like Free and open source, Beautiful graphics, Very customizable, Great for education and outreach, Active development community.

Feature	Orrery	Stellarium
Overall Score	N/A	N/A
Primary Category	Education & Reference	Education & Reference

Product Overview

Orrery

Description: Orrery is a free, open source software that displays an interactive model of the solar system, planets, moons and more. It provides an educational simulation showing the relative positions and motions of solar system objects.

Stellarium

Description: Stellarium is an open-source planetarium software that shows a realistic sky in 3D, just like what you see with the naked eye, binoculars or a telescope. It can be used to learn about astronomy and identify stars, constellations, planets and satellites.

Key Features Comparison

Orrery Features

• 3D interactive model of the solar system
• Realistic orbital paths and rotations
• Zoom in on planets and moons
• Change date/time to see positions in the past or future
• Change simulation speed
• Add custom objects like spacecraft
• Supports modding and plugins

Stellarium Features

• Realistic 3D rendering of the night sky
• Accurate positions of stars, constellations, planets, and satellites
• Support for multiple languages and cultures
• Telescope control integration
• Scriptable via plugins
• Multiplatform - runs on Windows, Mac, Linux

Pros & Cons Analysis

Orrery

Pros

• Free and open source
• Cross-platform (Windows, Mac, Linux)
• Educational and intuitive interface
• Highly customizable and extensible
• Active development community
• Lightweight and fast performance

Cons

• Limited built-in celestial objects (but can be expanded)
• User interface is dated
• Steep learning curve for advanced features
• Lacks some visual polish
• Documentation could be more thorough

Stellarium

Pros

• Free and open source
• Beautiful graphics
• Very customizable
• Great for education and outreach
• Active development community

Cons

• Steep learning curve
• Complex interface
• Requires decent graphics card for best performance
• Limited native mobile support

Pricing Comparison

Orrery

• Open Source

Stellarium

• Open Source