Cosmos
Cosmos is astronomy education software for Windows that allows users to explore celestial objects in an interactive three-dimensional environment. It combines a model of the Solar System and its stellar neighbourhood with astronomical catalogue search, size comparison of celestial bodies, detailed surface features and articles from WikiJournal. The program is intended for independent study, visual demonstrations and astronomy lessons in educational institutions.[1]
Development
Cosmos is developed as a desktop application for 64-bit Windows. Its interface and application logic are written in JavaScript. Electron provides the desktop environment, while Three.js and GLSL shaders render the three-dimensional scene.
Object catalogues, principal images and three-dimensional models are installed with the application. Articles about individual objects are retrieved from WikiJournal and linked to the corresponding catalogue entries. This arrangement allows the encyclopaedic content to be updated independently of the application itself.
Features
Interactive scene
The main mode allows users to move the camera, zoom in on celestial bodies and travel between them. Search covers galaxies, constellations, stars, planets, natural satellites and other catalogue objects. Labels, constellation lines and orbital paths can be displayed, and frequently visited objects can be added to a list of favourites.
A separate telescope mode is designed for examining a selected region of the sky and nearby stars. An observation can begin near Earth, continue among the planets and their satellites, and then expand to the stellar neighbourhood and galaxies.
Laboratory
The Laboratory places several celestial bodies side by side at a common scale. Users can rotate them, view them from different angles and add more objects while the comparison is in progress. Available physical properties and their sources are shown for each body.
The mode makes differences that are difficult to judge from separate images immediately visible, including the relative sizes of planets and satellites, the scale of large asteroids, and the contrast between rocky worlds and gas giants.
Surface features
Named surface features are available for a number of celestial bodies, including craters, maria, plains, mountains, scarps and other regions. A feature can be selected on the globe or in the catalogue, after which the program moves to its coordinates and opens its description.
Some locations have separate high-resolution images that are placed over the corresponding part of the surface when the view is enlarged. Such material is available particularly for the Moon, Mercury and Mars; the extent of the coverage depends on data returned by space missions.
WikiJournal articles
When a selected object has a corresponding WikiJournal article, Cosmos retrieves the text and displays it inside the program. An article may describe the object, its physical properties, its discovery and the results of spacecraft investigations. The complete version can be opened on the WikiJournal website.
The catalogue is linked to articles not only for planets and stars, but also for individual satellites, asteroids, craters, maria and other surface features. Previously retrieved material may be stored on the computer and remain available without another request to the server.
Data and visualisation
Cosmos uses astronomical catalogues, reference parameters, spacecraft imagery and three-dimensional models. The source and conditions of use are identified for material obtained from external collections.
Coordinates, dimensions, masses, orbital periods and other parameters depend on the completeness of published measurements. An unknown property is not displayed as though it were an established value. Artistic or calculated reconstructions are used for some objects because direct images of their surfaces do not exist.
The three-dimensional scene is intended to provide a clear view across very different astronomical scales. The apparent size of objects and the distances between them may depend on the selected display mode. Direct size comparisons are made in the separate Laboratory mode, where all bodies share a common scale.
Distribution and installation
Cosmos is distributed as an installer for 64-bit Windows. The current build can be downloaded from Yandex Disk.
The program uses an annual licensing model. Licences are available for individuals and educational organisations; current terms are published on the official website. A licence is activated through the internet within the application. It does not renew automatically and no automatic payment is taken.[1]
When a new version becomes available, the program displays an update notification. The user decides whether to download and install it.