WinStars 3 is a free multi-platform planetarium that accurately represents celestial objects at a given moment. It also allows you to virtually travel through our solar system, the Milky Way, and the nearest galaxy clusters. Additionally, a dedicated news feed keeps you up-to-date with the latest discoveries in astrophysics, which can be visualized within the software. WinStars is a constantly evolving software, with new features regularly added to make it a tool dedicated to the exploration of our Universe.
Blog
WinStars 3: I am taking up the development again
The blog had been silent for a long time, and so had the software. Version 3.0.304 went back to January 2025, 3.0.306 to May 2026, and in between I had little more to show. For some weeks now I have been working on WinStars 3 again, with four revisions between April and October 2026, including …
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Leaving social networks and the GAFAM ecosystem
Not a day goes by without us becoming acutely aware of the sprawling grip that tech giants have on our lives. These companies, many of which are less than 20 years old, have already reached market capitalizations exceeding $1 trillion—an amount comparable to the GDP of the Netherlands, the world’s 17th-largest economy. This limitless accumulation …
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The comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS: A new Great Comet?
The comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS (full name – C/2023 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) is an Oort cloud object discovered on January 9, 2023 by the Tsuchinshan (Purple Mountain) Observatory, located on the eponymous mountain near Nanjing in the People’s Republic of China. On February 22, 2023, it was independently discovered by the South African telescope of the ATLAS robotic system, …
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Download
Windows
WinStars 3.0.312 · 2026-11-13 — to install and to update from the server.
Download the installer — 38,1 MB, 2026-09-26On first launch, the installer fetches the files of the current version from the server. The file you download here stays valid afterwards: WinStars checks the server at startup and, when a more recent version exists, it relaunches the installer in update mode — so you do not download this file again for every new version.
If the program reports a problem with the internet connection, please see the following link. To update your current version manually, run the MaintenanceTools.exe tool located in the installation folder (C:\Program Files\WinStars3) and choose the “Update” option.
| Architecture | Version | Size | File date | Download |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| winstars_installer.exe | 3.0.312 | 38,1 MB | 2026-09-26 | Download |
Android
WinStars 3 is no longer available on the Google Play Store. You can now install it and receive future updates in two ways:
- Via F‑Droid (recommended): add the official repository to your F‑Droid application for an automated installation tailored to your processor: https://franckrichard01.github.io/WinStars3-FDroid/repo/
- By direct download: download the APK matching your architecture. Requires enabling unknown sources.
| Architecture | Version | Size | File date | Download |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| arm64-v8a | 3.0.312 | 47,6 MB | 2026-11-13 | Download |
| armeabi-v7a | 3.0.312 | 42,7 MB | 2026-11-13 | Download |
| x86 | 3.0.312 | 51,0 MB | 2026-11-13 | Download |
| x86_64 | 3.0.312 | 48,2 MB | 2026-11-13 | Download |
macOS and iOS
Due to Apple’s decision to abandon x86 processors, I am no longer able to compile the project. WinStars 3 is therefore no longer compatible with macOS and iOS.
GNU/Linux
An AppImage does not install: making it executable and running it is enough.
wget https://winstars.net/files/version3/WinStars-3.0.312-x86_64.AppImage
chmod +x WinStars-3.0.312-x86_64.AppImage
./WinStars-3.0.312-x86_64.AppImagePackages, dependencies and specific cases on the Linux installation page.
| Architecture | Version | Size | File date | Download |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| x86_64 | 3.0.312 | 152,9 MB | 2026-11-13 | Download |
Raspberry Pi
The package, the dependencies and the commands are detailed on the Raspberry Pi OS 64-bit installation page.
Checking what you downloaded
Every file carries its SHA‑256 fingerprint, in the tooltip of the table link and in the manifest. After the download:
sha256sum filenameThe printed fingerprint must match the one in the manifest. WinStars 3 changelog.