Celestia Forums

Hi everybody,

I've discovered Celestia a while ago and don't want to miss to give you some feedback.
So here is a little list of some suggestions and ideas. I hope this is the right place for posting this.

1. Switch off labels with one shortcut
-> just like the possibility to switch off orbit lines for having a clear view. One button to switch off all labels and lines at once would be most perfect

2. Hide active orbit line when getting closer to an object
At last displaying this line isn't really needed anymore when getting close to the target. Besides the line goes through the body which has a quite unnatural appearance.

3. GoTo-Effect when selecting "satellites" by the context menu of a planet
When someone uses the satellite option by right-clicking a planet, he probably wants to go to the objects moon directly, not just marking him. A GoTo-Effect would be much more comfortable

4. New option: labels and lines

4.1 Changeable colours of (orbit-)lines /labels
(Orbitlines might be categorised into classes and single planets)
Years ago I've already tested Celestia. But when travelling through the solarsystem there was nothing but orbit lines with a quite dominating blue. Not only that the space atmosphere was decreased, there was just less clarity. Now I had another try and found out how to customise the colours by script. I'm completly happy now with a new number one space simulator. Customisation is really nice - but other users shouldn't spend hours for this

4.2 Transparency effect of lines/labels
When you primarily want the view on celestial objects, but don't want to miss information.

4.3 Fading orbit lines
E.g. you can locate an object better from distance and you get a sense of the movement. There was already a discussion in another thread: viewtopic.php?f=10&t=15688

5. Selecting objects by clicking label
Objects might be easier to be selected. At the moment you have to aim good

6. Editing bookmarks
Possibility to rearrange (by up- and down button or just dragging) and overwrite/update saved bookmarks

7. Object browser

7.1 One browser for all objects
This means one resizeable browser window e.g. with the following tabs: Solar System, Star Catalogue, Eclipse Finder, Interesting Objects

7.2 Directly go to an object by double clicking its entry
Would be easier and faster.

7.3 Further ideas (marking objects, layout)
...like on this threadpage: viewtopic.php?f=10&t=11773&start=15
I'm looking forward to see those realised. I think the possibility of marking objects of a special category (planet-systems, distances,...) has a big educational value.

8. Navigation as in Google Earth
The right-click in Google Earth gives you a smooth movement to your point of choice. Transfered to Celestia, you would select an object by middle-click for example, then hold the button and move down to increase speed forward. Moving up lets you go backwards and moving right or left would give you a rotation. It's similar to "ctrl+left-mouse" but you have a controlable speed and you don't need multiple mouse-pulls to get forward. Also panning onto the ground, with a horizontal view would be a nice thing.

All in all Celestia is a great programm. As every software it's in a steady process of development. I think you (the developers) know the future steps best anyway. Graphical imrovements might be one or keeping data up to date another. But an important thing in my eyes is a new user interface, clearly structured and more intuitive. I saw some screenshots from Linux/Mac-Versions which are going into this direction. So as a Windows user I try to keep patient.

Regards, RM

Ok, Got It, Thanks.

We need to think about this

I like some of your ideas on what to display or not. I am also bugged with too much stuff on my screen. I'd like to see points 1,2, 4.1, 4.2, 5, 7.2. For Navigation, I am pretty much used to Celestia right now and it works fine, I doubt any change will improve that significantly. What's annoying is it's restriction on certain keys (selecting an object with enter, you only can select an object with tab, not my clicking; the keys n the number block don't work as numbers, even when writing).

I also have a long list of features I'd like to see in Celestia, but I'm waiting for a stable version 1.7 to suggest more features.

seeing as this is a 5 year old thread, most of these are there

colored orbits have been around longer than 5 years ( 4.1)

fading orbits - is in the code , just turn it on and rebuild the code (4.3)

using the menu it is easy to select a object and go to it or select it from the r-click menu ( 5)

bookmarkes are editable , but the last( on the bottom)on the list will crash celestia -- minor bug (6)

object browser - has it already ( 7 )

" 7.2 Directly go to an object by double clicking its entry"

NO it would not be -- there is a r-click menu

Oh I didn't realize this is 5 years old
Well yes some of these features are present now, but not yet in the latest official version 1.6.1. I was lucky someone uploaded a compiled version of an unofficial 1.7, as I have no idea how to do so.

Indeed, 4.3 (fading orbits) already work in Celestia 1.7.0


7-7.1 Celestial Browser is a QT interface, now we are trying to improve it.

Since Celestia 1.6.0, there is a function CELX which allows to know the state of 'Pause' in a script: celestia: ispaused (). This function returns the value 'true' or 'false'.

which is a pity that there is no counterpart which will allow to modify this state by a script. For example celestia: setpaused ().

One idea a customer had a few years ago you might find amusing.

He wanted asteroid and comet orbits to change color according eccentricity.
Such as a circular orbit for an asteroid would be bright green.
Yet if that orbit were twice as long as wide, it would be green/blue instead.
A visual marker as a quick reference guide.

The class he wanted it for never happened though, and I have never gotten it done either.
Thought others here might find the thought amusing.


Janus.

In Lut5, we have a clock in panel7, which allows you to manipulate time and timescale. The clock is paused when the timescale is 0. But this timeout does not match that of Celestia which is obtained by pressing the spacebar. The effect on the clock is the same but 2 type of stop are then recorded, each with its own method of recovery.
the pause state of Celestia is got in the script by 'ispaused' but no function is planned to make it by script. To interrogate the parameter is good, but to be able to modify it would be better.