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Astronomy with an online telescope
Astronomy with an online telescope

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1.1 Installing Stellarium and getting started

Stellarium can be obtained from the main Stellarium website:

https://www.stellarium.org [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)]

This contains links to a selection of downloadable installation packages. Select the link that corresponds to your computer and operating system, and save the installation file to a known location on your computer. You should also download the user guide from the website – this is a PDF document containing detailed instructions on installing and running Stellarium.

Once downloaded, run the installer in the usual way for your computer. Follow the instructions on-screen. If you need further assistance with the installation, refer to the instructions in the Stellarium user guide.

Once installed, you will find a Stellarium icon on your desktop or in your Start or application menus, depending on your operating system. Use this in the usual way to start the Stellarium program. Again, you can refer to the User Guide for detailed instructions if needed.

When the program starts, you will see a full-screen display. Depending on the time of day, this will be a daytime scene or a night sky. To close the program and return to your desktop at any time you can use the Ctrl-Q or Command-Q key combinations depending on your operating system.

[ To obtain Stellarium for a smartphone or mobile device, visit your device’s app store. You should be aware that there is a small charge for the mobile version of Stellarium. ]