.. role:: grey
.. role:: red
.. role:: green
.. role:: yellow
.. role:: orange
.. role:: blue

.. _qs-controls:

Basic controls
--------------

When Gaia Sky is ready, the main interface appears:

.. figure:: ../img/quickstart/202402_ui-initial.jpg
    :alt: The Gaia Sky user interface
    :align: center
    :target: _images/202402_ui-initial.jpg

    Gaia Sky starts with the camera focused on the Earth.

The interface provides several immediate points of reference:

- **Camera info panel (bottom-right):** This indicates you are in **focus mode**, meaning all movement is relative to the current focus object. By default, this is the Earth.
- **Quick info bar (top):** This displays the current focus (:green:`Earth`), the closest object to your location (:blue:`Earth`), and your designated home object (:orange:`Earth`).
- **Control panes (top-left):** These buttons provide access to various :ref:`control panes <control-panes>`. Clicking a button opens its respective pane; we will explore these in later sections.

.. _qs-movement:

Movement
^^^^^^^^

In **focus mode**, the camera orbits the focus object and always points toward its center. Try the following interactions to get a feel for the navigation:

- **Orbit:** Click and drag with the **left mouse button**. The camera orbits the Earth, revealing different parts of the surface.
- **Zoom:** Use the **mouse wheel** to scroll. Scrolling down moves the camera away, while scrolling up moves it closer.
- **Speed boost:** Press and hold :guilabel:`z` to significantly increase camera speed. This is ideal for traversing long distances.
- **Pan/Offset:** Click and drag with the **right mouse button** to offset the focus object from the center of the screen.
- **Roll:** Hold :guilabel:`shift` while dragging the mouse to roll the camera.

You can also navigate using the **arrow keys** (:guilabel:`←` :guilabel:`↑` :guilabel:`→` :guilabel:`↓`) to orbit or change your distance.

.. admonition:: Docs

    For a comprehensive list of inputs, see the :ref:`controls section <controls>` of the user manual.

.. _qs-selection:

Selection
^^^^^^^^^

You can change your focus at any time by **double-clicking** an object in the scene. Alternatively, use the search function:

1. Press :guilabel:`f` to open the **search** dialog.
2. Type "Mars" and press :guilabel:`Enter`.
3. The camera will now point toward :red:`Mars`. 

To travel there, you can scroll up manually or click the |goto| icon next to the object's name in the focus info panel. Clicking this icon allows Gaia Sky to take control of the camera and fly you directly to the destination.

**Useful shortcuts:**

- **Instant travel:** Press :guilabel:`ctrl` + :guilabel:`g` to teleport instantly to your current focus.
- **Return home:** Press the :guilabel:`Home` key to return to Earth (or your designated :orange:`home` object defined in the :ref:`configuration file <configuration-file>`).

.. |goto| image:: ../img/ui/go-to.png
   :class: filter-invert