Subject Descriptors: Celestia, navigate, find different objects in Celestia, move around in Celestia
Application: Celestia 1.5.1, Windows XP
Task Description: How do I navigate through Celestia?
Tutorial Date: June 4, 2009, By Sarah Zabriskie
In order to use Celestia, you must understand how to move about the universe. Refer to the diagram above to learn the basic movement controls.
One of the main purposes of Celestia is to allow you to see different objects in the universe up close and personal. One way you can do this is by selecting an object and letting Celestia take you straight to it. To do this, follow the directions below:
1) Using your mouse, left click on the object you would like to travel to. A red circle will appear around that object. That means it is selected.
2) Once it is selected, you may go directly to that object by pressing the (G) key. The (G) key is the Go-To key, it will take you to which ever object is selected.
Celestia has a option that kind of works like a search window. It will allow you to type the name of the object you would like to go to, and then take you right to it. To do this, follow the directions below:
1) Select the Navigation tab at the top of the screen.
2) A drop-down box will appear. From this box, click on Select Object.
3) Type the object you would like to go to in the little box that appears and press OK
4) Press the (G) key and Celestia will take you to that object
The universe is a very large place, and it can be hard to find your way around sometimes. If you ever do get lost, you can re-orient yourself by returning to the sun. To do this, follow the directions below:
1) Press the (H) key. The (H) key is the home key, and it will always select the sun no matter where you are in space.
2) Press the (G) key and Celestia will take you to the sun.
There are many other things you can do when using Celestia. The controls and options listed above are just the basics. If each step and option were explained, this tutorial would be much longer. Fortunately, Celestia has taken that into consideration and has an option you may select that will explain each command to you.
1) Select the Help tab at the top of the screen.
2) A small drop-down box will appear. Select Controls from the options.
3) A new window will appear which lists each of the commands you can use to navigate around Celestia.
4) Browse through these options to get an idea of the type of things you can do with Celestia.
