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Celestia is a free, open-source program is a planetarium... of sorts. Unlike most desktop planetariums, you can actually get an up-close view of the various astronomical objects, rather than the typical "from your backyard" type, view.

Consequently, the controls are more like a video game than anything else, and at times it feels like a video game, even though there is nothing to win and no score. But you can zip around the solar system and beyond.

The website also has several optional download packs to add objects to look at. Some of them are real, like Halley's Comet, but some are purely fictional, like the planet Vulcan from Star Trek or the Death Star from Star Wars.

If you want a quick and easy way of seeing what the program is capable of, hit the "D" button when you start the program to start a demonstration. Hit the "Esc" key when you are done to be taken back to the regular program.

Celestia runs on Windows, Linux and Mac OSX.

Check out the Celestia website