To zoom in on a specific target first left click on it, then press the spacebar to centre it before using the zoom keys (as above). To zoom in and out use ‘ctrl’ (or ‘cmd’ on a Mac) plus the up and down arrows, or you can use a roller wheel on a mouse. To explore the sky in Stellarium you can drag it round with your mouse or use the arrow keys on a keyboard. You can even select an extra-terrestrial viewing location if you want to simulate the sky from other bodies within the Solar System. In that window, you can then choose a location by either by: clicking on a world map then selecting from a list of nearby places typing in a town or city or, alternatively, inputting an exact longitude and latitude. The menu can be accessed by clicking on the compass icon in the left-hand toolbar or by pressing F6 to bring up the ‘Location’ window. Selecting the location from which you want to view the sky in Stellarium is simple. You can customise this display in the ‘Information’ tab of the Configuration Window, which can be accessed by pressing F2. You’ll see information about the object appear at the top of the screen, including its name and other useful astronomical data, such as its magnitude and catalogue numbers. These access further configuration windows which enable you to select the location you’re observing from and set the date and time, along with several display and general program configuration menus allowing you to tailor what’s shown on screen, plus the Search tool and the Help window.ģ If you have the Oculars plug-in enabled (see further down in Simulating eyepiece and camera fields of view) you will see a set of icons relating to it in the top right-hand corner of the screen.Ĥ If you left click on a celestial object from the main screen, the object will acquire a small rotating ‘target’ around it (stars) or a bouncing blue ‘frame’ (other objects). This bar is also where some plug-in buttons will appear.Ģ Hidden on the bottom-left edge of the screen is another toolbar with several icons.

Placing your cursor over this bar will raise it to reveal buttons that can toggle various display settings such as constellation lines and star labels.

The bar along the bottom shows key information such as the location, the field of view (FOV) and the time. 1 The Stellarium main screen has two main toolbars.

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