Language : Français · English · Español · Русский | Contents · FAQ

Technical factsheet

This page gathers in one place the technical characteristics of the software as they are published on the site. It does not replace the detailed pages, which describe every operation step by step.

Platforms and formats

State observed on 1 November 2026 on the download page, which reads the version numbers, weights and dates from the manifest.json file at every visit. Consult that page for today’s values: it updates itself at every release.

  • Windows — installer winstars_installer.exe (64 bits). The installer downloads the current package at first launch.

  • Android — APK files x86_64, x86, armeabi-v7a and arm64-v8a; the official F-Droid repository is recommended. WinStars 3 is no longer on Google Play.

  • GNU/Linux — x86_64 AppImage file. No installation: libraries are bundled.

  • Raspberry Pi — arm64 .deb package; 64-bit Raspberry Pi OS (Bookworm), Pi 4, 5, 400.

WinStars 3 is no longer published for macOS or iOS: Apple’s abandonment of x86 processors makes it impossible to build the project.

Graphics requirements

  • Computers (Windows, GNU/Linux, Raspberry Pi): graphics card compatible with OpenGL 4.1 or higher.

  • Tablets and phones (Android): device compatible with OpenGL ES 3.2 or higher.

  • 4 GB of RAM minimum, 8 GB recommended.

  • An Internet connection is required for the second and third parts of the star catalogue, for the DSS feature, for the Modules and for updates.

Simulated sky

  • Range of the simulation in time: the positions of the planets, of the Moon and of Pluto come from the numerical ephemeris JPL DE438, published by NASA for the period from 31 December 1549 to 25 January 2650, in Universal Time. Outside that period the software extrapolates the kernel: the displayed position is no longer constrained by NASA’s integrated solution. The other objects (stars, deep sky, artificial satellites, small bodies) do not depend on this window; their sources and limits are given on the Sources of calculations and data and Satellites pages.

  • Position calculations: see Sources of calculations and data.

  • Earth-rotation correction ΔT: see Time and date setting. The menu offers two correction models, and no correction.

  • Build number and date of the reference binary: the number, the weight and the date of the published package are read in the manifest.json file and on the Changelog page. They are not copied here, so that this page does not become false at the publication of the next package.

Astronomical data

  • Star positions: Gaia EDR3 catalogue (ESA), 1,811,704,130 sources, G magnitude limited to about 21. The software divides it into three parts: Star catalogues.

  • Galaxies, nebulae, star clusters: OpenNGC and EDD catalogues, more than 30,000 objects: Deep sky.

  • Galaxies (module): Galactic module: Galaxies catalogue.

  • Exoplanets: list of known exoplanets; the reference catalogue is the NASA Exoplanet Archive.

  • Asteroids and comets: orbits computed from Minor Planet Center data: Asteroides, Cometes.

  • Artificial satellites: orbital elements (TLE) and SGP4/SDP85 propagation: Satellites.

  • Sky atlases: DSS surveys: DSS function.

The number of objects actually loaded depends on the modules and the downloaded files: only the page of the module concerned is authoritative. Full source references are grouped on the Sources of calculations and data page.

Languages

  • Software interface: English, French, German, Arabic, Bulgarian, Chinese, Spanish, Japanese, Persian and Russian.

  • Documentation: English, French, Spanish and Russian.

  • The screenshots of the Spanish and Russian pages come from a French or English interface: the words shown in the menus may differ from those of your version.

Telescope control

Licence

Proprietary software, distributed free of charge, with no advertising and no built-in purchase. The summary of your rights is on the Licence and usage rights page.