Gaia Sky

Open source 3D Universe visulaization platform with support for a billion objects

Explore the cosmos

Gaia Sky is a real-time, 3D, astronomy visualisation platform for desktop and VR that runs on Windows, Linux and macOS. Open source and libre.

It is developed in the framework of ESA’s Gaia mission to chart about 1 billion stars of our Galaxy in the Gaia group of the Astronomisches Rechen-Institut (ZAH, Universität Heidelberg). The software includes an integrated dataset manager that grants access to several tailor-made astronomical datasets such as Gaia DR1/2/3, SDSS, or NGC. Discover the boundaries of astronomy with real scientific datasets!

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Documentation

We make an effort to have the most up-to-date and accessible documentation possible. You can browse it online, or download it as a PDF file. It continually grows, so stay tuned!
Read the docs

Features

Gaia Sky is packed with features that will make your head spin

Open source

Open source and free, and will stay this way. Contribute to the development and translations.

High object count

The MS-LOD technique enables real-time exploration of billions of objects in real time.

From Gaia to the cosmos

Explore from high-z galaxies to small asteroids in a seamless manner, all based on real scientific data.

Virtual Reality

Experience the whole universe in VR (compatible with headsets powered by OpenXR)

6D exploration

Observe star positions but also proper motions and radial velocities, if available.

Advanced graphics

Virtual textures, screen space reflections, shadows, HDR, volumes, dynamic resolution, etc.

Planetary surfaces

Explore surfaces with height and elevation maps (using tessellation, if available), and advanced shading.

Procedural planets

Procedurally generate planetary surfaces on the fly, and explore your creations seamlessly.

Eclipses

Real-time representation of eclipses in all bodies, with a visualization of the umbra and the penumbra.

3D-ready

6 stereoscopic modes: Anaglyphic (red-cyan), VR headset, 3DTV (H and V), cross-eye and parallel view.

360 mode

Spherical (equirectangular), cylindrical and Hammer projections available, plus many reprojection modes.

Planetarium projection

Domemaster projection for single-projector setups. MPCDI for real-time usage in multi-projector systems.

Gaia and other spacecraft

Observe Gaia and other spacecraft in their orbits and discover their movement in the sky and their attitudes.

Use your data

Download pre-packed datasets (Gaia, NGC, SDSS, Open Clusters, etc.) or use your own, in VOTable, FITS, CSV and other formats.

Real-time filters

Download pre-packed datasets (Gaia DR3+, NEARGALCAT, SDSS, Open Clusters catalog, etc.) or use your own, in VOTable, FITS, CSV and other formats

SAMP aware

Use SAMP (Simple Application Messaging Protocol) to interoperate with SAMP-ready software such as Topcat and Aladin.

Gamepad support

Use your favorite controllers and gamepads to navigate the Galaxy. Piece of cake!

Camera paths

Record and play camera paths off-the-shelf. Includes a keyframe system.

Scriptable and extensible

Use Python to script and extend the capabilities of the Gaia Sky.

Internationalized

Translated to English, German, Spanish, French, Catalan, Slovenian and Bulgarian.