# Celestia - Space Simulator — 3D interactive planetarium

> Real-time 3D space simulator and interactive planetarium. (iPhone/iPad app by 林峰 李.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/celestia-space-simulator/id1500434829 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [林峰 李](https://appshunter.io/developer/1186547508)
- Category: Education, Reference
- Price: Free with in-app purchases
- Rating: 4.40/5 from 316 App Store ratings · 240 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 15.0 · 537 MB
- Languages: American English, Arabic, Belarusian, Bulgarian, Dutch, French (France), Galician, Georgian, German (Germany), Greek and 18 more
- Released: 2020-07-07
- Data updated: 2026-08-26
- Monetization: free with in-app purchases
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/celestia-space-simulator/id1500434829/reviews.md

## What is Celestia?

Celestia — real-time 3D visualization of space

3D Space Simulator | Celestia lets you explore our universe in three dimensions.

Celestia simulates many different types of celestial objects. From planets and moons to star clusters and galaxies, you can visit every object in the expandable database and view it from any point in space and time. The position and movement of solar system objects is calculated accurately in real time at any rate desired.

Interactive Planetarium | Celestia serves as a planetarium – for an observer on any celestial object.

You can easily navigate to any world and land on its surface. When used as a planetarium, Celestia shows accurate positions of solar system objects in the sky. You can switch labels and other supporting features on and off with hotkeys, or zoom in and out on an object of interest, for example Jupiter’s system of moons.

Expandable Content | Customize Celestia according to your needs.

Celestia’s catalogues can be easily expanded. There are many different add-ons available containing new objects like comets or stars, high-resolution textures of Earth and other well mapped solar system bodies, as well as 3D models for asteroids and spacecraft on precise trajectories. Even fictional objects from well-known sci-fi franchises can be found.

EULA(End User License Agreement): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

## Key features

- Real-time 3D space visualization
- Explore planets, moons, stars, galaxies
- Accurate solar system object positions
- Interactive planetarium mode
- Expandable content with add-ons
- Customizable celestial databases

## Pricing and in-app purchases

Base price: Free.

**Subscriptions**

| Subscription | Price | Period |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Celestia PLUS (Yearly) | $19.99 | per year |
| Celestia PLUS (Monthly) | $1.99 | per month |
| Celestia PLUS (Weekly) | $0.99 | per 7 days |

**One-time purchases**

| Purchase | Price | Type |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Celestia PLUS (Lifetime) | $79.99 | one-time |


## What do users think of Celestia?

Overall sentiment: positive

**Pros**

- ⭐ Realistic space simulation
- 🌌 Ability to explore galaxies and star systems
- 🔍 Detailed planet and moon textures
- 📷 Great for taking screenshots
- 🤖 Reminds users of Space Engine

**Cons**

- 🐛 Occasional crashes and glitches
- 🌌 Limited exploration beyond Milky Way and Andromeda
- 🌍 Flat terrain on planets
- 🔍 Lack of detail on some celestial objects
- 🔒 Paywall for some features

**Commonly reported bugs**

- Milky Way and other galaxy textures not loading properly
- Crashes when using certain add-ons
- Issues with planet and moon orbits not being accurate

**Most requested features**

- Add more exoplanets and distant star systems
- Implement terrain generation for planets
- Expand to include more galaxies and the overall universe structure
- Add support for black holes, pulsars, and other exotic objects
- Improve controls and camera movement

## Recent user reviews (10 of 240)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/celestia-space-simulator/id1500434829/reviews.md

### 5/5 — YESSSSS

*2026-08-11, version 26.8.0*

SPACE ENGINE FOR MOBILE!!! oh yeah, btw PUH-LEEZ add TON 618 and let us basically do free fly so we can discover planets and give the planets TEXTURES. THE BOSS OF SPACE SIMS ON MOBILE. I RECOMMEND INFINITELY

### 4/5 — 怎么感觉没更新？

*2026-08-09*

这已经更新了我进入后怎么没更新

### 1/5 — I love it but

*2026-08-07, version 1.9.22*

I love this game but why is there glitches when youre halfway there in addons like it does not work halfway there and at this point just add all the things from the addons in default celestia

### 5/5 — 没广告爽

*2026-08-05*

没有广告爽到天还给我知道了好多系外行星

### 5/5 — Read

*2026-08-04, version 1.9.22*

It’s like space engine but in a different way there’s is black holes and one in the Milky Way and open clusters so you should download this warning flashing lights

### 5/5 — 还不错

*2026-08-01*

没有广告，这点我最满意

### 5/5 — Celestia space simulator

*2026-07-26, version 1.9.20*

Please add black holes and a creation discs, and please let us land on planets and please stop copying plants like the gold gas giants in the red and blue planet

### 5/5 — All my recommendations (PLEASE REPLY :[ )

*2026-07-23*

I loved it! Especially the nebulae and black holes and hypotheticals, i want a category called “Universe Maps” it has some universe maps from the PC version converted, oh and also add on search bar should be free, The category should add big bang epoches, redshift, and the CMB, Oh and also add the JWST, and 100 new galaxies, And add hubble’s deep field. Pretty much i like it! I wish there was a category like this, Oh and also i wish that there was a mof where you can look at the teloscopes and actually make it where you see interstellar objects. I liked it, just more stuff

### 5/5 — It’s space engine

*2026-07-17, version 1.9.20*

I compered Celestia to space engine and it looks identical

### 5/5 — The version of space engine

*2026-07-12, version 1.9.20*

I watched space chip and i was trying to find that app and i saw this and i got it and its so good totally accurate and amazing 5 stars no infinity stars get this app literally 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍😃😍😍😍

## Frequently asked questions about Celestia

### What does Celestia do?

Celestia is a real-time 3D space simulator that allows you to explore the universe. You can visit a vast array of celestial objects, including planets, moons, star clusters, and galaxies, and view them from any perspective in space and time.

### What are the key features of Celestia?

Key features include real-time 3D visualization of space, accurate simulation of solar system object positions and movements, an interactive planetarium mode for viewing the sky from any celestial body, and expandable content through add-ons for new objects and textures.

### Is Celestia free to use?

The application is free to download and use, but it does offer in-app purchases. These purchases may provide access to additional content or features beyond the core simulation.

### What kind of celestial objects can I explore?

You can explore a wide range of celestial objects, including planets, moons, star clusters, and galaxies. The database is expandable, meaning you can add more objects like comets, stars, asteroids, and even fictional spacecraft through add-ons.

### Can I customize the content in Celestia?

Yes, Celestia's content is highly customizable. You can expand its catalogues with various add-ons that introduce new objects, high-resolution textures for planets, and 3D models for asteroids and spacecraft, allowing you to tailor the simulation to your interests.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 26.8.0 — 2026-08-11

1. Data update (2026-08-02)
2. Apply ring and eclipse shadow to atmospheres
3. Add more eclipse viewing options
4. Update to a new versioning system

### 1.9.22 — 2026-08-03

1. Data update (2026-07-30)
2. Update atmosphere rendering
3. Add settings for shadow resolution and HDR tonemappiing
4. Add support for more actions in Shortcuts

### 1.9.20 — 2026-07-06

1. Optimize memory usage
2. Fix some crashes in loading
3. Improve Modify handling for textures

### 1.9.19 — 2026-06-22

1. Experimental sRGB support
2. New Point Spread Function star style

### 1.9.18 — 2026-06-19

1. Experimental sRGB support
2. New Point Spread Function star style

## Apps similar to Celestia

| App | Rating | Price | Category |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Solar Walk: Space Simulator 3D](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/solar-walk-space-simulator-3d/id347546771) | 4.7 (8,149) | $4.99 | Education |
| [3D Solar System - Planets View](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/3d-solar-system-planets-view/id983877380) | 4.4 (1,689) | Free | Education |
| [Stars and Planets - Astronomy](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/stars-and-planets-astronomy/id1170904676) | 4.7 (1,222) | Free | Education |
| [Space Gate: AR Solar System](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/space-gate-ar-solar-system/id6474214531) | 4.8 (200) | $12.99 | Education |
| [Solar Walk 2 - View Planets 3D](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/solar-walk-2-view-planets-3d/id1031155880) | 4.7 (7,281) | $2.99 | Education |
| [Galaxy Map](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/galaxy-map/id1170905456) | 4.6 (591) | Free | Education |

## More apps by 林峰 李

- [Astroweather - astronomy tools](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/astroweather-astronomy-tools/id1257346912)
- [Unarchiver - ZIP, RAR](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/unarchiver-zip-rar/id1552555240)

All apps by 林峰 李: https://appshunter.io/developer/1186547508

## Related topics

[space exploration](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/space-exploration) · [space engine](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/space-engine) · [galaxy space simulator 3d](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/galaxy-space-simulator-3d) · [space sims](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/space-sims) · [galaxy space effects](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/galaxy-space-effects) · [universe simulator](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/universe-simulator) · [space simulator two](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/space-simulator-two) · [space simulation toolkit](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/space-simulation-toolkit) · [space simulator](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/space-simulator) · [solar system sim](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/solar-system-sim) · [explore the universe](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/explore-the-universe) · [solar system simulator](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/solar-system-simulator) · [universe sandbox](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/universe-sandbox) · [space simulator 3d](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/space-simulator-3d)

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-26.*