KStars

A free, open-source desktop planetarium from KDE for simulating the sky and planning observations.

FreeOpen sourceWindowsmacOSLinux
Official websitekstars.kde.org

These buttons open the developer's own site, repository or store listing in a new tab. wares.gg does not host downloads.

4 more ways to get KStars

Other download sites

FossHubfosshub.comMajorGeeksmajorgeeks.com

Run by third parties, not by KDE. Prefer the official page above when it works.

Package managers

  • Homebrewbrew install --cask kstars
  • Flathubflatpak install flathub org.kde.kstars

About KStars

KStars is a desktop planetarium that draws an accurate graphical simulation of the night sky. It shows the planets, up to 100 million stars, 10,000 deep-sky objects, comets and asteroids, and lets you change the simulation rate to watch the sky move over time.

It also includes an observation planner, tools that predict conjunctions and plot how planet positions change, and a complete astrophotography workflow. It can pull information, imagery and data from several internet resources. It is aimed at students, educators, amateur astronomers and astronomy enthusiasts.

Strengths

  • Sky simulation with up to 100 million stars, plus comets and asteroids
  • Observation planner and calculation tools such as conjunction prediction
  • Full astrophotography workflow built in
  • Actively maintained, with version 3.8.4 released in August 2026

Limitations

  • The large feature set takes time to learn
  • Some information and imagery features rely on internet resources

Details

Pricing
FreeFree and open source from the KDE community.
License
Open source, license not stated
Developer
KDE
Platforms
Windows, macOS, Linux
How it runs
Downloadable app
Account
Not required
Best suited for
Students, teachers and amateur astronomers who want a detailed planetarium and observing planner on the desktop
Categories
Learning tools
Last verified
Added
Provenance
Facts checked against the developer's own pages and store listings, 1 sources on file.

Alternatives to KStars

Compare all

Software that can replace KStars for an important use case, and what changes if you switch.

  • Stellarium

    A planetarium on your screen showing exactly what is in the sky above you, tonight or on any date you choose.

    FreeOpen sourceWindowsmacOSLinuxAndroidiOS

    Stellarium is an open-source GPL-2.0 planetarium that also runs on Android and iOS, simulates telescope views and controls mounts, but lacks KStars' built-in astrophotography workflow.

  • Celestia

    An open-source real-time 3D space simulator for exploring the solar system, stars and galaxies.

    FreeOpen sourceWindowsmacOSLinux

    Celestia is an open-source GPL-2.0 3D space simulator for flying between planets and galaxies, not a sky view planner with observation tools from your location.

Similar software

Related functionality, not necessarily a direct replacement.

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