Software Alternatives & Reviews

Celestia VS Heavens Above

Compare Celestia VS Heavens Above and see what are their differences

Celestia logo Celestia

Real-time 3D visualization of space

Heavens Above logo Heavens Above

Website for tracking Satellites, Space ships and other space objects.
  • Celestia Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-09-19

The expandable free and open-source real-time space simulator that lets you explore our universe in three dimensions.

  • Heavens Above Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-26

Celestia videos

Celestia Review - with Tom Vasel

More videos:

  • Review - Celestia - Shut Up & Sit Down Review
  • Review - Celestia Review with the Game Boy Geek

Heavens Above videos

Review: Heavens Above app Android IOS

More videos:

  • Review - Heavens Above
  • Tutorial - How to download and use Heavens Above Satellite Tracking App

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Celestia and Heavens Above)
Universe Simulator
80 80%
20% 20
Photos & Graphics
0 0%
100% 100
Virtual Universe
92 92%
8% 8
Space Simulator
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

Share your experience with using Celestia and Heavens Above. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Celestia should be more popular than Heavens Above. It has been mentiond 26 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Celestia mentions (26)

  • My 9 year old nephews drawing of stars
    I think Celestia could be a good one. I also thought about SpaceEngine, but AFAIK it was kind of terrible at generating realistic planetary systems, among other things (pricey, huge, etc.). Source: about 1 year ago
  • What are the best resources to explore space from my computer?
    Celestia was something I played with before. Pretty interesting. Source: over 1 year ago
  • Lunar Occultation of Mars
    Celestia looks as though it would do it. Source: over 1 year ago
  • Tips to visualize Apollo 17 trajectory
    I'm looking for data and software to visualize the Apollo 17 trajectory (especially the "powered descent", lunar rendezvous and entry). I'm thinking of using celestia. I'm look for a data tables as well (time stamp, position for each part of the stack). Any tips are appreciated. Source: over 1 year ago
  • Help rediscovering a certain night sky exploration program?
    Yes, that's Celestia most likely. I'm not sure it is still maintained though. Source: over 1 year ago
View more

Heavens Above mentions (4)

  • Did anyone else see this "UFO"?
    The Heavens Above site will give predictions of satellite passes based on location and time, and will predict brightness as well. For example, here's a guess at the 501 location for last night (you might have to set the date yourself). Looks like the SL-16 R/B satellite or the Resurs 01 rocket stage are good candidates; they're about the right time and direction. If you knew time, location, and/or direction more... Source: 11 months ago
  • Can someone help me find what this is?
    Heavens-Above (multiple platforms, lists satellites). Source: over 2 years ago
  • See a Satellite Tonight
    Also worth noting: https://heavens-above.com/main.aspx But this has a much nicer UI/UX! The street view rendering is particularly impressive. - Source: Hacker News / about 3 years ago
  • Is this a satellite? Please be nice, I really want to know. Plane flies over for comparison.
    I have seen planes where they look like just flashes of lights until you get into a really dark place and can see the lights that are always on. I think they fly at higher altitudes for faster, more efficient travel. There are a couple of ways to check into this, though. Heavens-Above tracks satellites and flightradar24 has a playback function for times going back a week. Source: about 3 years ago

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Celestia and Heavens Above, you can also consider the following products

Stellarium - Stellarium is a free open source planetarium for your computer.

Satscape - A satellite tracking program for Windows, Mac OS and Linux.

Space Engine - Space Engine is a realistic virtual Universe you can explore on your computer.

See A Satellite Tonight - Free web app to explore satellite locations.

Universe Sandbox - Universe Sandbox ² is a physics-based space simulator where you can simulate Events and even break physics and friction with certain features.

ISS Detector - Tracking the International Space Station. See it fly by.