Editing KStars

{{Infobox software
| name = KStars
| logo = KStars icon oxygen hicolor.svg
| screenshot = KStars.png
| caption = Screenshot of KStars showing the night sky from [[Tbilisi]], [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]]
| developer = KDE developers
| latest release version = {{wikidata|property|edit|reference|P348}}
| latest release date    = {{start date and age|{{wikidata|qualifier|P348|P577}}}}
| platform = [[KDE]]
| operating system = [[Unix-like]], [[Windows]], [[Android (operating system)|Android]]
| genre = [[Educational software]]
| license = [[GPLv2]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://quickgit.kde.org/?p=kstars.git&a=blob&h=37ba36f164a71f65475dffa725f300b42afba1f9&hb=928d184b449fb07f02957fce321de629355b65a3&f=COPYING|title=KDE QuickGit|website=kstars.git|access-date=2016-09-18|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160625054759/https://quickgit.kde.org/?p=kstars.git|archive-date=2016-06-25|url-status=dead}}</ref>
| website = {{URL|edu.kde.org/kstars/}}
}}

'''KStars''' is a [[Free and open-source software|free and open-source]] [[planetarium]] program built using the [[KDE Frameworks]]. It is available for [[Linux]], [[Berkeley Software Distribution|BSD]], [[macOS]], and Microsoft Windows. A light version of KStars is available for [[Android (operating system)|Android]] devices. It provides an accurate graphical representation of the night sky, from any location on Earth, at any date and time. The display includes up to 100 million [[star]]s (with additional addons), 13,000 [[deep sky object]]s, [[constellation]]s from different cultures, all 8 planets, the [[Sun]] and [[Moon]], and thousands of [[comet]]s, [[asteroid]]s, satellites, and [[supernova]]e. It has features to appeal to users of all levels, from informative hypertext articles about astronomy, to robust control of [[telescope]]s and [[Charge-coupled device|CCD]] cameras, and logging of observations of specific objects.

KStars supports adjustable simulation speeds in order to view phenomena that happen over long timescales. For astronomical calculations, Astrocalculator can be used to predict conjunctions, lunar eclipses, and perform many common astronomical calculations. The following tools are included:
* Observation planner
* Sky calendar tool
* Script Builder
* Solar System
* Jupiter Moons
* Flags: Custom flags superimposed on the sky map.
* FOV editor to calculate field of view of equipment and display them.
* Altitude vs. Time tool to plot altitude vs. time graphs for any object.
* Hierarchical Progress Surveys (HiPS<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ivoa.net/documents/HiPS/|title=HiPS – Hierarchical Progressive Survey}}</ref>) overlay.
* High quality print outs for sky charts.
* Ekos is an astrophotography suite, a complete astrophotography solution that can control all [[Instrument Neutral Distributed Interface|INDI]] devices including numerous telescopes, CCDs, [[DSLR]]s, focusers, filters, and a lot more. Ekos supports highly accurate tracking using online and offline [[astrometry]] solver, auto-focus and auto-guiding capabilities, and capture of single or multiple images using the powerful built in sequence manager.

KStars has been packaged by many Linux/BSD distributions, including [[Red Hat Linux]], [[OpenSUSE]], [[Arch Linux]], and [[Debian]]. Some distributions package KStars as a separate application, some just provide a [[kdeedu]] package, which includes KStars. KStars is distributed with the [[KDE Software Compilation]] as part of the kdeedu "Edutainment" module.

KStars participated in [[Google Summer of Code]] in 2008,<ref>[http://code.google.com/soc/soc_map2008.kml List of 2008's successful participants] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111223192743/http://code.google.com/soc/soc_map2008.kml |date=2011-12-23 }}, Google Summer of Code, [[KML]] file</ref> 2009,<ref>[http://www.google-melange.com/gsoc/list_projects/google/gsoc2009 Google Summer of Code 2009 Accepted Projects] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110401111125/http://www.google-melange.com/gsoc/list_projects/google/gsoc2009 |date=2011-04-01 }}, accessed 2011-04-23</ref> 2010,<ref>[http://www.google-melange.com/gsoc/list_projects/google/gsoc2010 Google Summer of Code 2010 Accepted Projects] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110401111128/http://www.google-melange.com/gsoc/list_projects/google/gsoc2010 |date=2011-04-01 }}, accessed 2011-04-23</ref> 2011<ref>{{cite web|title=GSoC 2011 – Accepted Projects|url=http://www.google-melange.com/gsoc/projects/list/google/gsoc2011|publisher=Google, Inc.|access-date=23 June 2012}}</ref> 2012,<ref>{{cite web|title=GSoC 2012 – Accepted Projects|url=http://www.google-melange.com/gsoc/projects/list/google/gsoc2012|publisher=Google, Inc.|access-date=23 June 2012}}</ref> 2015<ref>{{cite web|title=GSoC 2015 – Accepted Projects|url=http://www.google-melange.com/gsoc/projects/list/google/gsoc2015|publisher=Google, Inc.|access-date=6 December 2015}}</ref> and 2016.<ref>{{cite web|title=GSoC 2016 – Accepted Projects|url=https://summerofcode.withgoogle.com/projects/|publisher=Google, Inc.|access-date=27 August 2016}}</ref> It has also participated in the first run of [[ESA]]'s Summer of Code in Space in 2011.<ref>[http://sophia.estec.esa.int/socis2011/?q=node/13 Selected mentoring organizations] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110723113441/http://sophia.estec.esa.int/socis2011/?q=node%2F13 |date=2011-07-23 }}, ESA Summer of Code in Space 2011. Accessed 2011-07-29.</ref>

It has been identified as one of the three best "Linux stargazing apps" in a Linux.com review.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.linux.com/learn/tutorials/475400-explore-the-universe-the-three-best-linux-stargazing-apps|title=Explore the Universe: The Three Best Linux Stargazing Apps|access-date=2011-07-29|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120908042211/http://www.linux.com/learn/tutorials/475400-explore-the-universe-the-three-best-linux-stargazing-apps|archive-date=2012-09-08|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Free and open-source software|Astronomy}}
{{div col begin|colwidth=20em}}
*[[Space flight simulation game]]
**[[List of space flight simulation games]]
*[[Planetarium software]]
*[[List of observatory software]]
{{div col end}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons|KStars}}
*{{Official website|edu.kde.org/kstars/}}
*[http://mpcreader.sourceforge.net/ MPC Elements for Comets and Minor Planets in KStars]
*Download [ftp://ftp.kde.org/pub/kde/stable source code]{{dead link|date=December 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} and [https://web.archive.org/web/20131103080622/http://download.kde.org/stable/kdewin/installer/ Windows] and [http://pdb.finkproject.org/pdb/package.php/kstars4-mac Mac] versions

{{KDE}}

[[Category:Astronomy software]]
[[Category:Free and open-source software]]
[[Category:Free astronomy software]]
[[Category:Free educational software]]
[[Category:KDE Education Project]]
[[Category:KDE software]]
[[Category:Linux software]]
[[Category:Planetarium software for Linux]]
[[Category:Science education software]]
[[Category:Software that uses Qt]]
[[Category:Software using the GNU General Public License]]