Stellarium 23.1

The Stellarium Team has released version 23.1.

From now on, releases will have version numbers indicating a year.release scheme. For Windows, the version of the Qt framework used is visible as part of the package name. Details are in the User Guide.

PLEASE UPDATE!

This issue mitigates a potential security issue (reported as CVE-2023-28371), where scripts were allowed to write output text and screenshots to other places on users’ systems apart from the Stellarium user data directory or configured screenshot directory.

Running unknown scripts (which is a Bad Idea(tm) to begin with) could have exploited that by attackers (script authors) writing even command files to vulnerable places. We have not received a report where this would have caused a problem.

However, now users must explicitly allow such behaviour in the settings tab of the Script Console.

Apart from that, this release mostly aimed at fixing issues in the 1.* series, but also brought a few new features:

• Much improved “Solar System observer” and other “Planet observers”.
• Solar dates along the ecliptic
• Fixed issues with Observation Lists, and removed need for the extra edit dialog.
• Updated shader code for smoother projection
• Allow texture decimation on the fly for very weak systems like Raspberry Pi 3.
• Solar limb darkening
• Proper shadow edge for satellites

Behind the scenes, many more minor issues were fixed.

TELESCOPE USERS

Like in the 1.* series, it seems the TelescopeControl plugin at least on Windows works better in the Qt5-based releases. Just install this if you are affected. We are looking for telescope users with programming skills to help us fixing this issue. Reward possible!

Full list of changes:

• Added missing include (GH: #2933)
• Added ability to store a local file of objects as bookmark (GH: #2935)
• Added missing file in Babylonian (Seleucid) SC
• Added ability to show the alternative shortcuts in Help dialog (GH: #2944)
• Added B-V color indices for planets and the Sun
• Added B-V indices for few moons
• Added ability to change the font size and color of the landscape labels from the GUI (GH: #2941)
• Added ability to visualize heliocentric ecliptic distances for bright comets in AstroCalc/Positions/HEC tool
• Added an option to use supersampling for shadows on the Moon
• Added implementation of the limb darkening for the Sun (GH: #3017)
• Added Methuselah star
• Added support 32-wind compass rose (GH: #3036)
• Added decorative textures for the observer used in the location panel
• Added accurate ecliptic calendar marks (GH: #3057)
• Added ability to settings fps in the GUI (GH: #3073)
• Added a workaround for poor NPOT mipmap implementations
• Added “Now” button into AstroCalc/Ephemeris tool (GH: #3012)
• Added discovery info for Messier objects (GH: #3084)
• Added phase name and age to Moon’s infoMap (GH: #3088)
• Added a check for screenshot file format
• Added proper name for Arp 239
• Added proper name for PGC 1436754 from SIMBAD
• Added support MIT license for sky cultures
• Added GUI to manually entering FOV (GH: #3093, #3013)
• Added ability to toggle ignore date test for orbital data in AstroCalc/Ephemeris tool (GH: #3099)
• Added explicit text message for “satellite below horizon” (GH: #3098)
• Added a confirmation warning to overwrite an existing list on import in Observing lists
• Added support for masses of the major planets
• Added masses for major planets
• Fixed umbra circles in Satellites plugin (GH: #2510)
• Fixed plotting markers of ephemerides (GH: #2951)
• Fixed the performance penalty: enabled compression of high frequency events (GH: #2778)
• Fixed off-by-one error in planetary rings mesh generator (GH: #2775)
• Fixed compilation on Qt configured for OpenGL ES2 (GH: #2970)
• Fixed bookmarks for minor planets in Solar System Editor plugin (GH: #2958)
• Fixed the wrong transformation of the Moon’s color texture values
• Fixed solar eclipse rendering of the Moon in a better way
• Fixed default distance of “observer” to the parent (GH: #2911)
• Fixed handling of lighting factor when rendering lunar eclipse
• Fixed AstroCalc/RTS tool (GH: #3028)
• Fixed another missing timezone
• Fixed location changes via Search panel and “Goto” Action
• Fixed return to default location (with default landscape)
• Fixed other place where location name is printed in bottom bar
• Fixed pixelized panel icons in screenshots (GH: #2899)
• Fixed a possible security issue
• Fixed DSO filters (GH: #3048)
• Fixed screenshot size
• Fixed a potential security issue when storing screenshots
• Fixed scaling of screen geometry when setting window position (GH: #3102)
• Fixed limits for altitudes in Satellites plugin
• Fixed working the filter in shortcut dialog for Qt5-based builds (GH: #2939)
• Fixed storing DSO with designations in Observing lists (GH: #2802)
• Fixed the type/objtype bug in Observing lists
• Fixed creation of default empty list at start in Observing lists
• Fixed behaviour for ‘Reload the sky culture’ feature
• Fixed a crash when observer is on the spaceship (GH: #3115)
• Changed GUI of Satellites plugin: disable a bad implementation of fixed shadow altitude (GH: #3100)
• Changed GUI: better button labels
• Changed core: set line and file numbers in shader prefixes
• Changed core: make ring shadows smoother
• Changed core: improve quality of planetary ring edges
• Changed core: make sure that textures being loaded don’t exceed OpenGL size limits (GH: #2991)
• Changed core: avoid blowing out highlights on the lunar surface
• Changed core: use a ratio of FoV and sphere scale when calculating brightness coefficient for the Moon
• Changed core: allow more threads for texture loading
• Changed core: do computations for the planets in linear color, convert to sRGB in the end
• Changed core: move Lambert BRDF from vertex shader to fragment shader
• Changed core: make terminator of planets with atmosphere not so sharp
• Changed core: allow texture decimation (GH: #3009)
• Changed core: simplify checking whether planet being drawn in Planet::draw3dModel is the Sun or the Moon
• Changed core: simplify checking whether current location is Earth in Planet::draw3dModel
• Changed core: draw solar corona before the sphere, regardless of halo settings
• Changed core: make rot_obliquity=0 for all observers
• Changed core: do the computation of lunar eclipse colors in nonlinear color (GH: #3035)
• Changed core: enable mip mapping for old-style-landscape textures)
• Changed core: switch old-style landscape to fragment-shader-based direction computation (GH: #3045)
• Changed core: allow “goto” action to observers
• Changed core: inhibit drawing of a few grids/markers when on Observer pseudo-planet
• Changed core: inhibit location name if observing from Observer pseudo-planet
• Changed core: inhibit landscape and atmosphere drawing when on an “observer” pseudo-planet
• Changed core: make it possible to restrict texture size of GUI panel button pixmaps
• Changed core: softened inner edge of earth penumbra slightly
• Changed core: avoid creation of default user dir if CLI override given (GH: #3079)
• Changed core: deprecated a redundant command line option)
• Changed core: force redraw of dynamic resolution atmosphere on window resize
• Changed core: use config settings screen_* in physical (unscaled) pixels (GH: #3077)
• Changed core: render ShowMySky atmosphere calculating view direction per fragment
• Changed core: tweak screen intersect callback (GH: #3059)
• Changed core: disable culling for ZodiacalLight and MilkyWay
• Changed core: ensure screenshot format initialisation sets supported format
• Changed Satellites plugin: refactoring the code (simplification)
• Changed Satellites plugin: reduced the minimal entered altitude for apogee/perigee filters (GH: #3004)
• Changed Satellites plugin: switched to use WGS-84 data in whole Satellites plugin
• Changed scripting engine: avoid empty filenames for screenshots (GH #3111)
• Changed scripting engine: also make writing to absolute paths a GUI option (GH #3111)
• Changed scripting engine: require user consent to let scripts store screenshots to paths given in the script (GH #3111)
• Changed encoding format in Korean.isl (GH: #2992)
• Updated GUI: losslessly recompress PNGs to save space (GH: #3087)
• Updated orbital elements for minor bodies of Solar system
• Updated default list of locations
• Updated default catalog of satellites
• Updated default catalog of exoplanets
• Updated default catalog of pulsars
• Updated qxlsx dependencies (GH: #2979)
• Updated XML data: use generic-icon in mime file (GH: #3011)
• Updated list of languages
• Updated default bookmarks for Solar System Editor plugin
• Updated translations of sceneries
• Updated translations of landscapes
• Updated translations of sky cultures
• Removed the clamping kludge from the Oren-Nayar function
• Removed NGC 5976A designation (GH: #2967)
• Removed checking architectures in Windows installer (GH: #2962)