Sparkling gems and new releases from the world of Free and Open Source Software
Planetarium
KStars 2.6.0
Stellarium is such a great piece of astronomy software that it's difficult to remember there are several other important projects that take a different look at the stars, and KStars is one of the best. It's been in development for almost as long as KDE has been a desktop, and perhaps because it's bundled as part of KDE's Education metapackages, it doesn't often get the credit it deserves. The project is still being actively worked on, and version 2.6.0 is hopefully an update timely enough for autumnal distribution releases. What makes KStars such a nice tool is that it's good at finding stars and astronomical phenomenon, rather than simulating a view of the night's sky. It still supports up to 100 million stars, 13,000 deep sky objects, and thousands of comets and asteroids, but it won't try and immerse you in a different environment. This means that it doesn't have the same resource requirements, or the same distractions, which makes it better suited to classes, for example, or for running on older hardware.
One of the best things about KStars is that its data sets can be kept up-to-date in ways that other applications can't match. KDE's integrated plugin download actually works, for example, unlike with some other KDE applications, which means you can easily augment KStars with extra catalogs and images. KStars is also brilliant for tracking satellites, and it integrates a TLE (Two Line Elements) download and update tool within the Preferences, which is essential for getting and describing the latest, always changing orbital data for objects. It can also track supernovae and download a list of the latest occurrences, if any. Combine this with the classic planetarium interface and sky rendering, and we think KStars is definitely worth another look.
Project Website
Virtual Globe
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
Canonical Bumps LTS Support to 12 years
If you're worried that your Ubuntu LTS release won't be supported long enough to last, Canonical has a surprise for you in the form of 12 years of security coverage.
-
Fedora 40 Beta Released Soon
With the official release of Fedora 40 coming in April, it's almost time to download the beta and see what's new.
-
New Pentesting Distribution to Compete with Kali Linux
SnoopGod is now available for your testing needs
-
Juno Computers Launches Another Linux Laptop
If you're looking for a powerhouse laptop that runs Ubuntu, the Juno Computers Neptune 17 v6 should be on your radar.
-
ZorinOS 17.1 Released, Includes Improved Windows App Support
If you need or desire to run Windows applications on Linux, there's one distribution intent on making that easier for you and its new release further improves that feature.
-
Linux Market Share Surpasses 4% for the First Time
Look out Windows and macOS, Linux is on the rise and has even topped ChromeOS to become the fourth most widely used OS around the globe.
-
KDE’s Plasma 6 Officially Available
KDE’s Plasma 6.0 "Megarelease" has happened, and it's brimming with new features, polish, and performance.
-
Latest Version of Tails Unleashed
Tails 6.0 is based on Debian 12 and includes GNOME 43.
-
KDE Announces New Slimbook V with Plenty of Power and KDE’s Plasma 6
If you're a fan of KDE Plasma, you'll be thrilled to hear they've announced a new Slimbook with an AMD CPU and the latest version of KDE Plasma desktop.
-
Monthly Sponsorship Includes Early Access to elementary OS 8
If you want to get a glimpse of what's in the pipeline for elementary OS 8, just set up a monthly sponsorship to help fund its continued existence.