If you took one of my workshops on Space Engine, you can download space engine here and you will get the exact same setup that we used in the workshop. First download then file and then follow these steps:
- The file you downloaded is compressed. Open it and inside is a folder called SpaceEngine. Drag this folder to your desktop to decompress the folder.
- Within the SpaceEngine folder you just created on your desktop is another folder called ‘system.’ Within the system folder is the actual program (SpaceEngine). Open it.
- The very first time you run SpaceEngine, it will take a while as the program generates a bunch of graphics files. It will not take nearly so long after the first time.
- When you finally get to the main menu and select ‘planetarium’ you will positioned near the Earth. Each time you exit the program and restart you will end up back in this same spot. This is how I had it set up in our workshop.
- If you want to install on another computer, go back to the original file that you downloaded and follow the same steps above. This program does not go through the normal Windows installation process. This is a good thing, because if someone from IT has locked down your computer, you can still run this program. However, if you copy the folder to another computer after you ran it once, the likelihood of success goes down. It is best to start with the original file and let the computer a bunch of necessary files during that initial first run.
For the original installation files, please visit the official Space Engine site. This amazing program is free, written by one guy in Russia, who survives on donations.