Project "Celestia Origin", release dated April 30, 2020

[Art Blos]

Dear members of the Celestia community!

We’d like to introduce our Celestia Origin project whose goal is to upgrade Celestia 1.6.1 with the most current information about celestial bodies without modifying the source code. This project is the largest one of its kind in the Russian Internet.

Our team is constantly monitoring space-related news and publications to collect the latest information about known space objects as well as scientific theories. As the result, we have created a unique assembly of Celestia add-ons. Most of the work has been done by the team members, while the rest was acquired from other parties. Each celestial body in our assembly has been updated with all available information, including physical and orbital parameters, alternative naming and topographic locations where available.

Project’s home page is located at https://vk.com/celestiaorigin

Project Members:

• Artyom Goncharov aka Art Blos - founder and head of the project, main developer and tester of the collection;
• Askaniy Anpilogov aka Askaniy - creator of textures, models and locations, document translator, main helper with ideas;
• Artyom Volgin aka Zemlyanin - creator of tools for automatic data collection (minor bodies) and creator of several unique add-ons, a consultant for various scientific issues, help in complex calculations;
• Ivan Romanov aka Lepestronik - creator of the installation script for various OS;
• Greg Frieger - creator of the largest base of 3D models of the Solar system bodies, writing utilities for import to Celestia;
• Anton Sobolev aka Vision - help with deep space objects.

The latest version (published on April 30th 2020) includes:

• 9 planets (including a hypothetical one);
• 220 planetary moons (with 4 hypothetical ones);
• 5 dwarf planets;
• 9 moons of dwarf planets;
• 4015 asteroids + 24 binary and 1 trinary;
• 66 moons of asteroids;
• 1129 comets;
• 1 moon of comets;
• >2463589 stars of the Milky Way;
• 48370 stars outside the Milky Way;
• 4269 exoplanets + 4084 unconfirmed + 2 exomoons + 1 exoasteroid + 4 rogue planets;
• 10943 galaxies;
• 373 globular clusters;
• 1073 open clusters;
• 33 nebulae;
• 102 spacecrafts.

Use the attached torrent file

Celestia Origin v.11 (30.04.2020).torrent

(21.61 KiB) Downloaded 782 times

or the direct links to download the addon’s;

• "Core" with 1K-4K textures;
• Archive with 8K-16K textures;
• Archive with 32K-64K textures.

Installation instructions

1) Collection installation on Windows, Linux and macOS:

1.1) Download Celestia 1.6.1 distro (or 1.6.2 for macOS):

- Windows: https://celestia.space/cc/celestia-win-161

- Linux: check your OS repository or use following https://bintray.com/celestia/releases-deb/celestia/view/readmore#read
Ensure that proposed Celestia's version matches with required one (1.6.1).
IMPORTANT: it's necessary to disable Celestia's packages updating to prevent installed collection damage;

- macOS: download an archive from "Assets" of the latest release on the page
https://github.com/CelestiaProject/Celestia/releases
For example: https://github.com/CelestiaProject/Celestia/relea ... celestia-1.6.2-beta2-macOS.zip

1.2) Install the program at suggested standard address (on Windows) or at any other of your choice (on Windows and macOS); Linux packages will be installed to one of standard addresses automatically;

1.3) Unpack "Installers" folder from "Core" archive file manually and place it where this file located.
If you placed "Installers" folder anywhere else or installed native Celestia to non-standart address you'd need to copy full paths to archive file (without a filename) and to installed Celestia to the command line when the corresponding requests will appear;

1.4) On Windows run Windows_Install_CO.bat as an administrator (from right-click menu);
on Linux or macOS run appropriate .sh file (on Linux you'd need to run script as a root user) after making it executable using file properties menu or the command "chmod +x <scriptname>.sh".
Follow the instructions on the screen. You may install the collection either at one of the default locations or select custom one. The backup copy of native Celestia's data will be created during the installation;

1.5) You may choose one of 7 maximum textures' resolution variants.
For 1-4 variants chosen you also will be able to install monolithic textures with 8192 x 4096 px resolutin. WARNING: these textures enhance a view of objects with models but they are not applicable for weak video cards! You may install them for a testing and then uninstall if necessary independently of the collection according to 2.1). You may do a test on Enceladus by switching textures' resolution from low to medium: on weak video card you will see black gap instead of a model.

Installation variants for modern PC and notebooks:
* 1 - "hires-64k";
* 2 - "hires-32k".
Include core installation, monolithic textures with maximum 4096 x 2048 px resolution and VT-tiles of 6 level (1 variant) and 5 level (2 variant).

Installation variants for mid-level PC and notebooks:
* 3 - "medres-16k";
* 4 - "medres-8k".
Include core installation, monolithic textures with maximum 4096 x 2048 px resolution and VT-tiles of 4 level (3 variant) and 3 level (4 variant).

Installation variants for very weak PC and most of notebooks:
* 5 - "core-4k";
* 6 - "core-2k";
* 7 - "core-1k".
Include core installation, VT-tiles of 2 level and monolithic textures with maximum 4096 x 2048 px, 2048 x 1024 px and 1024 x 512 px resolution for 5, 6 and 7 variants accordingly.

1.6) If you make installation to an HDD on Windows you may need to defragment it before the first launch of Celestia Origin.
Another OS' file systems don't need a defragmentation due to these systems' features.
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2) Collection uninstallation and restoration of native Celestia:

2.1) Run Uninstall-script corresponding to your OS similary to 1.4) item and follow it's instructions.

You may choose one of two variants:
* 1 - Uninstall monolithic textures with 8192 x 4096 px resolutin only independently of the collection (see 1.5);
* 2 - Uninstall the collection completely.

Copy full path of installed Celestia to the command line when the request will appear if the script didn't find the program at it's standard location.

2.2) After Celestia's path location and detection of the backup copy an uninstallation begins according to your choice. Celestia Origin's patches located at extras\update will be deleted with the complete removal of the collection. After the complete deinstallation the restoration of native data will occur.

Pleasant flight!

[fyr02]

The release is finally here! Downloading right now.

[LukeCEL]

Awesome! I delayed installing it for a long time partially because I thought installing it was going to be too hard, but it was pretty easy to go through.

[ArchitPasayat2008]

I am not downloading hires

What features i will miss?

[Art Blos]

I am not downloading hires
What features i will miss?

The maximum resolution of textures will remain at 16k.

[Lafuente_Astronomy]

Art Blos, a humble suggestion if you may:

Can you enable users to take down the splash image by clicking anywhere? The latest versions of Celestia 1.7.0 now allow this, and I think it's a relatively simple thing to add.

Added after 1 minute 31 seconds:
Also, I know I asked this before but have you considered SVision's Galactic Center addon to replace the one in CO? It's more detailed, has more accurate objects, and is overall much better, at least to me.

[Art Blos]

Lafuente_Astronomy < It is very likely that this is the latest version built on 1.6.1. So all this is a matter of future release.

[Joey P.]

Are you going to attempt to upload this to the Motherlode? You should because that's where most people go for addons anyway. Even though I stopped downloading this, I think it is a great project and more people should download it.

[Art Blos]

Are you going to attempt to upload this to the Motherlode? You should because that's where most people go for addons anyway. Even though I stopped downloading this, I think it is a great project and more people should download it.

I still do not understand what does not suit you. Or is it such a youth protest?

We never seriously thought about loading on Motherlode.

[onetwothree]

Can you enable users to take down the splash image by clicking anywhere?

This requires code changes.

[Lafuente_Astronomy]

This requires code changes.

Well, will the code changes be simple or complicated?

[SevenSpheres]

Well, will the code changes be simple or complicated?

The code changes have already been done, see: 1.6.2 and 1.7.0

Also, I know I asked this before but have you considered SVision's Galactic Center addon to replace the one in CO? It's more detailed, has more accurate objects, and is overall much better, at least to me.

Very much agreed. Adding pedro_jg's SMART-1 model would also be a good idea.

[Lafuente_Astronomy]

The code changes have already been done, see: 1.6.2 and 1.7.0

I meant for Celestia Origin itself. Although maybe it's best to wait until they fully migrate to 1.6.2 for Windows. So far, only the Mac version of
1.6.2 has full support

Very much agreed. Adding pedro_jg's SMART-1 model would also be a good idea.

There's also another spacecraft release by gironde here: viewtopic.php?f=23&t=18024&start=1340
Though because he mentioned you, you may already be familiar with this

[SevenSpheres]

I meant for Celestia Origin itself. Although maybe it's best to wait until they fully migrate to 1.6.2 for Windows. So far, only Mac 1.6.2 has full support

Yes, according to Art Blos this is probably the last Celestia Origin version for 1.6.1. Actually Celestia Origin is already compatible with 1.6.2, and as you said they recommend it for Mac users.

There's also another spacecraft release by gironde here: viewtopic.php?f=23&t=18024&start=1340
Though because he mentioned you, you may already be familiar with this

Gironde did say "I reused the SohO model for SolO (Solar Orbiter)", so maybe it's best to wait until there's an actual model for the Solar Orbiter. If you remember, I was trying to make one but got stuck because I don't know which textures go with which materials (probably what gironde meant when he said "The Esa site model is not viable.")

[Joey P.]

I still do not understand what does not suit you. Or is it such a youth protest?

It's not a youth protest! I'm just suggesting a way for this project to get more downloads, because it's an amazing one and deserves way more attention. It's a compliment.

[Art Blos]

It's not a youth protest! I'm just suggesting a way for this project to get more downloads, because it's an amazing one and deserves way more attention. It's a compliment.

I meant specifically your disinterest in the project.

[Art Blos]

Added patch v.11.1

ChangeLog:

• Added five fragments of the comet C/2019 Y4 (ATLAS);
• Added comet C/2020 F8 (SWAN);
• Added 3D-model of the 11351 Leucus;
• Fixed orientation of the 10 Hygiea and Squannit.

[Joey P.]

I meant specifically your disinterest in the project.

What I mean is that I'm not downloading this project anymore. But just because I'm not doesn't mean I don't like it. I still do and I think it's good.

[Art Blos]

What I mean is that I'm not downloading this project anymore. But just because I'm not doesn't mean I don't like it. I still do and I think it's good.

I’m trying to understand why you don’t want to download.

[gironde]

Is there a bug in the .ssc file for dwarf_planets and more particularly for Ceres.

With the Ceres script, none of the dwarfplanets is loaded by celestia, celestia cannot load the file ceres_dawn.xyzv
celestia also notes an error in the phase 2 timeline.

I gave the orbital elements of the "JPL Small-Body Database Browser"