The universe according to Gaia Sky

[jave808]

Hi all

I discovered this piece of software that lets you zoom around the universe!  Go to https://zah.uni-heidelberg.de/gaia/outreach/gaiasky

It does work on my Linux Mint btw. It wouldn't fire up about a month ago but I just tried it now and so far, so good.

[ryzenmulti]

Yes Jave, have used it for a few years now. It is crazy wicked on big screens!! Download some extra datasets for added experience. The advances in 3D modelling and rendering are truly unreal. Real time positional display of the observable universe is captivating.

Screen grab of the satellite telescope Gaia out at the L2 lagrange point with JWST
Gaia screen grab (link)

Alternatives, there is also these to try (web and desktop applications)
NASA'a eyes - local earth/solar system and asteroids https://eyes.nasa.gov/
WorldWide Telescope - http://worldwidetelescope.org/webclient/
Stellarium (telescope simulator) - https://stellarium.org/