Space Engine
Space Engine is a free software program that allows users to explore the universe in 3D, from planet Earth to the most distant galaxies. It generates procedural planets, stars, and galaxies based on scientific data and allows virtual space tourism.
space
astronomy
exploration
simulation
procedural-generation
Space Engine: Explore the Universe in 3D
A free software program for virtual space tourism, generating procedural planets, stars, and galaxies based on scientific data
What is Space Engine?
Space Engine is an open-source software that simulates the entire observable universe in 3D, allowing users to virtually explore space from their computers. It is developed by Russian astrophysicist Vladimir Romanyuk.
The software generates 2 billion galaxies, 100 billion star systems, thousands of planet textures based on NASA catalogs, and landscapes for different planets and moons. It combines astronomical data with procedural generation to create a visually stunning and scientifically accurate representation of outer space.
Key features of Space Engine include:
- Seamless space travel, allowing users to land on and observe any planets, stars or galaxies
- Realistic visualization of stars, nebulae, black holes based on astronomical data
- Procedurally generated landscapes for rocky, icy, lava, ocean planets and more
- Accurate positions, visual appearances and orbits of planets in our Solar System
- Universe simulation spanning from small asteroids to the cosmic web on extreme scales
Space Engine offers an immersive educational experience into astronomy and astrophysics. It can be used as a space simulator to virtually visit the furthest reaches of the cosmos, as well as a tool for planning actual space missions and developing planet renderings.
Space Engine Features
Features
- Procedurally generated planets, stars and galaxies
- Realistic visual representation of celestial bodies
- Ability to land on and explore procedural planets
- Support for VR headsets for immersive space tourism
- Accurate recreation of our Solar System and known exoplanetary systems
Pricing
- Free
- Open Source
Pros
Free to download and use
Scientifically accurate
Visually stunning graphics
Immersive VR support
Active development and updates
Cons
Steep learning curve
Requires a powerful PC for best performance
Limited gameplay beyond exploration
Occasional bugs and crashes
Official Links
The Best Space Engine Alternatives
Top Science & Education and Astronomy & Space and other similar apps like Space Engine
Here are some alternatives to Space Engine:
Suggest an alternative ❐
Universe Sandbox
Universe Sandbox is a desktop application that simulates space, galaxies, stars, planets and moons on a personal computer. It uses scientifically accurate models to replicate gravitational forces, orbits, climate patterns, collisions, and other astrophysical concepts in an interactive environment.With Universe Sandbox, users can add planets, moons, asteroids, comets and more...
Stellarium
Stellarium is a free, open-source planetarium software that shows a realistic and accurate 3D simulation of the night sky, just like what you can see with the naked eye, binoculars or a small telescope. It is available for Windows, Mac, and Linux operating systems.With Stellarium, you can visualize the actual...
Celestia
Celestia is a powerful, free, open-source space simulation program that allows users to explore and visualize outer space. It renders high-resolution, photographic images of planets, moons, stars, galaxies, nebulae, and more using real astronomical data. Celestia enables users to travel through space and time, view any object in the universe...
Cosmonium
Cosmonium is a powerful, free planetarium software that allows users to explore the universe from the comfort of their computer. With Cosmonium, you can travel through space and time to observe celestial objects like stars, planets, moons, nebulae, and galaxies in realistic 3D.Some key features of Cosmonium include:Realistic and accurate...
Orbiter
Orbiter is an open-source, realistic 3D real-time space flight simulator. It allows users to operate or ride on spacecraft and experience space flight similar to real-life space programs. Orbiter aims to recreate space flight as accurately as possible within the constraints of a home computer system.Key features of Orbiter include:Realistic...
Noctua Stellarium Mobile
Noctua Stellarium Mobile is a feature-rich mobile planetarium app that allows users to explore the wonders of the night sky from the convenience of their phone or tablet. With over 600,000 stars, a catalogue of over 88 constellations, and realistic rendering of the Milky Way, it brings an immersive stargazing...
Systems Tool Kit
Systems Tool Kit (STK) is an industry-standard software by AGI for modeling, simulating, and analyzing complex systems across land, sea, air, and space domains. It enables engineers, analysts, and decision makers to design, test, arrange, and operate equipment more effectively to accomplish mission objectives.Key capabilities and features of STK include:Modeling...
Solar System Scope
Solar System Scope is an interactive 3D simulation of the solar system, planets, dwarf planets, moons, asteroids, comets and spacecraft. It allows users to explore space from any point of view, whether from the surface of planets and moons or out in the depths of space.The software visualizes planetary orbits...
Planetario
Planetario is a feature-rich, open-source astronomy application for Windows, Mac, and Linux. It provides an interactive 3D simulation of the night sky, accurately displaying the positions and movements of stars, planets, moons, constellations, galaxies, and other celestial objects.Key features of Planetario include:Realistic 3D representation of the night sky from any...
TerraGenesis
TerraGenesis is a complex space simulation and terraforming game developed by Edgeworks Entertainment for iOS and Android devices. In TerraGenesis, players take on the role of a terraforming corporation working to colonize the solar system by altering uninhabitable planets to support human life.Gameplay revolves around managing a variety of planetary...
Starfield
Starfield is an open-source, cross-platform application for designing, visualizing, and analyzing force fields for molecular simulations. It provides a graphical user interface for setting up molecular systems and parameterizing both general and customized force fields.Some key features of Starfield include:Building molecules/molecular systems with tools for sketching topologies and geometriesVisualizing and...
Exoplanet
Exoplanet is an open-source Python package for detecting, characterizing, and analyzing exoplanets from astronomical time series data. It was developed by the exoplanet research group at Caltech and includes a suite of tools for fitting exoplanet transit and radial velocity data to infer planetary and orbital parameters.Key features of Exoplanet...
Space Simulator
Space Simulator is a realistic space flight simulation game that gives players an accurate representation of operating spacecraft, planning missions, and exploring the solar system. Players can choose from a selection of authentic spacecraft models including the Space Shuttle, Soyuz capsule, Titan moon lander, and more.The physics-based flight dynamics provide...
Mitaka
Mitaka is an open-source software application developed for annotating textual data. It is useful for labeling spans of texts such as named entities, emotions, relationships between words/phrases within text sequences.Mitaka provides an intuitive graphical interface for annotating text. It allows users to highlighting words and phrases in a document and...
WinStars
WinStars is a feature-rich desktop customization program for Windows that gives users full control over customizing the look and feel of their desktop. It comes packed with thousands of free themes, icon packs, wallpapers, screensavers, cursors, fonts, and visual styles to completely transform the aesthetic of your Windows desktop.With WinStars,...
Gaia Sky
Gaia Sky is an interactive 3D software program that models the Milky Way galaxy in striking detail. It uses scientific data from the European Space Agency's Gaia mission and other astronomical surveys to recreate the positions, movements, and details of over 1.5 billion stars in our galaxy. Users can zoom...
Cosmographia
Cosmographia is a feature-rich, open-source software application for visually simulating and demonstrating astronomical phenomena and spacecraft missions in the Solar System. Developed by a team including former NASA rocket engineers, it enables users to observe planets, moons, asteroids, comets and man-made spacecraft from various points of reference with a high...
Ad Astra
Ad Astra is an open-source web-based application developed specifically for school scheduling and timetabling. It provides school administrators a comprehensive toolset to efficiently build course catalogs, manage resources like teachers and classrooms, organize student groups and cohorts, and generate optimized school timetables.Key features of Ad Astra include:Intuitive interface for managing...
Solar Model
Solar Model is a comprehensive software tool used for the design and simulation of solar photovoltaic systems. It enables engineers, designers, and installers to model the performance of solar panels under various conditions to help optimize system design and predict energy production.Key features of Solar Model include:Detailed PV system modeling...
