Cartes du Ciel (Skychart)

About

Cartes du Ciel (Skychart) is a free and open-source astronomy software program developed in Switzerland. Launched as a comprehensive tool for drawing sky charts, it leverages data from 16 catalogs of stars and nebulae, and accurately displays the positions of planets, asteroids, and comets. The program is widely accessible, supporting Mac, Windows, and Linux platforms. While specific financial details, leadership, or employee count are not publicly available, its open-source nature and community-driven development, including features for users to suggest and vote on new functionalities, underscore its market position as a robust and accessible alternative to commercial and other free astronomy applications. It is frequently cited as a competitor or alternative to software such as Stellarium, Sky Map, Atlas of Space, and Redshift - Astronomy, serving a global community of astronomy enthusiasts and professionals.