SpaceEngine

Released: Jun 11, 2019
Platforms: Windows
Last updated: 04 Sep 2026, 13:41 GMT

Updates & announcements

20 posts

17 Aug 2026Developer post
Build 0.991.50.2155
Hey folks! The August update has passed Beta and is now live! This includes some future-proofing work for system builders and ship modelers, as well as catalog adjustments made from community notes and the addition of the first-of-its-kind exosatellite CD-35 2722 B b. We've writt
Hey folks!
The August update has passed Beta and is now live! This includes some future-proofing work for system builders and ship modelers, as well as catalog adjustments made from community notes and the addition of the first-of-its-kind exosatellite CD-35 2722 B b. We've written up extra details on some of the more involved additions for your perusal below:
New Spacecraft Material Config Options:
[p align="start"]Spacecraft material definitions now support two new features: texture gamma correction and green channel inversion for DirectX normal maps.
[p align="start"]SpaceEngine expects all input textures and colors to be in linear values (albedo). Most modern PBR textures are authored to this standard, but almost all older/non-PBR textures are not, and need to be converted to linear values for use in SpaceEngine. Otherwise, they will look too light/washed out. SE now supports this via the DiffGamma and EmisGamma parameters for diffuse and emissive textures, respectively. Assigning them a negative number, like -1, will cause sRGB->linear conversion to be used (this is what you want most of the time). Positive values will use a simple fixed power gamma correction, using the provided value as the exponent.
Comparison of textures without and with gamma correction. Note how the solar panels are realistically dark after gamma correction is applied (before/after on the left/right respectively).
[p align="start"]For spacecraft normal maps, it's important to ensure they're using the OpenGL standard. DirectX normal maps have an inverted green channel compared to OpenGL, so if you're using a normal map authored for DirectX rendering (which will usually be the case), you need to invert the green channel for it to render correctly in SpaceEngine. SE can now take care of that for you with the new DirectXNormMap parameter, a simple boolean that will invert the green channel of your assigned normal map when set to "true".
Comparison of a DirectX normal map without and with green channel inversion. Note how before conversion, the geometry is illuminated from the upper right while the normals are illuminated from the bottom right. After conversion, the lighting is consistent and correct (before/after on the left/right respectively).
[p align="start"]Here are a few examples of how to use the new parameters. Make sure you're working in the correct Material tags for the texture you want to change to avoid any unwanted washout or shadow inversion!
[c]DiffGamma -1.0 //values less than 0 use the same sRGB to linear correction EmisGamma 1.8 //other values use a simple power gamma correction (output=input^gamma) DirectXNormMap true //converts DirectX normal maps to OpenGL by inverting the green channel[/c]
With the given values, DiffGamma will apply the sRGB > linear conversion, EmisGamma will apply a 1.8 power gamma correction, and DirectXNormMap will flip the green values of the assigned normal map.
New Catalog Addition: The First Exosatellite
An object discovered in the CD-35 2722 system by Hoy et al. (2026) has been deemed the first “planetary-mass exosatellite.” The 0.92 Jupiter mass object orbits a 31 Jupiter mass L4-type brown dwarf, which itself orbits a 0.4 solar mass M1V dwarf star. Since the planetary-mass object orbits a brown dwarf, which is neither a star nor a planet, whether this object should be labelled a planet or a moon is subject to some debate. The object has astronomers questioning taxonomy and classification in this low-mass regime. For now, the team that made this discovery labeled it an “exosatellite,” the first of its kind. While moons are a common occurrence in our own solar system, astronomers have yet to discover a true 'exomoon' in another star system. The CD-35 2722 exosatellite feels like a big step forward in the hunt for true exomoons!
CD-35 2722 B b, as it appears in SpaceEngine, with its brown dwarf host in the background.
[p align="start"]The CD-35 2722 exosatellite is exciting for other reasons too; planetary-mass objects orbiting brown dwarfs, like this one, are rare. Systems where brown dwarfs host exoplanets invoke questions about formation history, with labels depending on whether the smaller object formed from a protoplanetary disk (making it a planet) or from the gravitational collapse of a giant molecular cloud (making it a very low-mass brown dwarf).
[p align="start"]For further reading, the original article (paywall) is at https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-026-10751-w, or you can read this press release: https://www.space.com/astronomy/exoplanets/astronomers-may-have-discovered-the-1st-moon-outside-of-our-solar-system-or-is-it-something-weirder.
Star Browser Gas Giant Fix
[p align="start"]Of final note is a fix related to gas giants in the Star Browser. Previously, searching for pressure ranges that included 1.0 atm would return every gas giant in range. While this presented as a technical bug, this was actually its correct behavior! In SpaceEngine, we use the conventional astrophysics definition for the 'surface' of a gas giant: the layer where atmospheric pressure equals 1.0 atm. So the surface pressure of gas giants is always 1.0 atm, by definition. But this isn't very helpful for the Star Browser's purposes, so we fixed the interaction. The Star Browser will now ignore gas giants when searching for worlds with a surface pressure range including 1.0 atm.
Changelog:
M-type brown dwarfs and L-type main sequence stars now have correct labels
Planetary mass “star” objects with spectral type M and later will now be labeled as planemos
Spacecraft materials now support gamma adjustment for Diff/Emis maps and green channel inversion for DirectX normal maps. The following parameters have been added for use in .sml files (see above for more information)
DiffGamma/EmisGamma: values greater than 0 behave as a simple power gamma adjustment, while values below 0 instead use a fixed piecewise sRGB to linear conversion
DirectXNormMap: a boolean that inverts the green channel if set to “true” (DirectX and OpenGL normal maps have flipped green values)
Fixed a bug where searching in the Star Browser for a planet with a pressure range that included 1.0 atm returned every gas giant in the search radius
Updated the CD-35 2722 system and added the newly discovered exosatellite CD-35 2722 B b
Updated Jupiter’s size and shape with the latest Juno data
Corrected Titan’s mass
Updated distance to M 99
Fixed distance, size, and orientation of Ring Nebula
Added Ring Nebula’s central star as a catalog object
Fixed distance, size, and orientation of California Nebula
Reduced luminosity of Pleiades Nebula for increased realism
Updated distance to Puppis A
Added newly published properties for The Garnet Star
Corrected orbital parameters of Mu Ara’s planets
Removed liquid ocean from Wolf 1061 c
Updated Gliese 777 system (removed extra planets, added missing d planet, updated properties for b and c planets)
Updated the exoplanet catalogs with 27 new host stars, 30 new planets, and five new brown dwarf candidates
Added 12 new binary asteroid systems, updated some binary system names
Added newly assigned name to 1999 JB80: Karolinadziadura
Catalog Additions:
Binary Asteroids:
Nysa
Nash
Korankei
Tippett
2002 TC302
2014 GX53
1999 SY8
2013 HU156
2000 AO1
2003 SD106
Harwood
1999 BG2
Brown Dwarf Candidates:
HD 16760 b
KMT-2023-BLG-0332L b
TIC 52059926 b
TIC 9344899 b
TOI-6884 b
Exoplanets:
Gliese 3378 b
HD 5388 b
TOI-3457 b
TOI-707 b
GJ 777 A d
HD 125136 b
HD 126105 b
HD 127195 b
HD 127195 c
HD 190360 d
HIP 10090 b
HIP 10090 c
HIP 39330 b
HIP 8923 b
HIP 98599 b
KMT-2023-BLG-1592L b
NGTS-38 b
OGLE-2023-BLG-0766L b
TIC 150070085 b
TOI-1533 b
TOI-1533 c
TOI-2147 b
TOI-3664 b
TOI-4034 b
TOI-6019 b
TOI-6564 b
TOI-791 b
TOI-791 c
BET Pic d
CD-35 2722 B b
Original post
10 Aug 2026Developer post
0.991.50.2155 Public Beta
Hey folks~ The next batch of updates and fixes is now available for public testing. This includes some future-proofing work for system builders and ship modelers, as well as adjustments made from community Catalog Notes and the addition of the first-of-its-kind exosatellite CD-35
Hey folks~
The next batch of updates and fixes is now available for public testing. This includes some future-proofing work for system builders and ship modelers, as well as adjustments made from community Catalog Notes and the addition of the first-of-its-kind exosatellite CD-35 2722 B b. Some of these changes are more involved than simple patch notes can provide, so we've written up extra details for your perusal on our website: https://spaceengine.org/news/blog260810/
To opt in to the Beta branch, go to your Steam library, right-click SpaceEngine, then go to Properties> Game Versions & Betas, and select beta (public beta branch) from the list. To report any issues that arise, go to the Troubleshooting and Bug Reports section of the Steam forums, or the #bug-reports channel in our official Discord.
Changelog:
M-type brown dwarfs and L-type main sequence stars now have correct labels
Planetary mass “star” objects with spectral type M and later will now be labeled as planemos
Spacecraft materials now support gamma adjustment for Diff/Emis maps and green channel inversion for DirectX normal maps. The following parameters have been added for use in .sml files (see the website post for more information)
DiffGamma/EmisGamma: values greater than 0 behave as a simple power gamma adjustment, while values below 0 instead use a fixed piecewise sRGB to linear conversion
DirectXNormMap: a boolean that inverts the green channel if set to “true” (DirectX and OpenGL normal maps have flipped green values)
Fixed a bug where searching in the Star Browser for a planet with a pressure range that included 1.0 atm returned every gas giant in the search radius
Updated the CD-35 2722 system and added the newly discovered exosatellite CD-35 2722 B b
Updated Jupiter’s size and shape with the latest Juno data
Corrected Titan’s mass
Updated distance to M 99
Fixed distance, size, and orientation of Ring Nebula
Added Ring Nebula’s central star as a catalog object
Fixed distance, size, and orientation of California Nebula
Reduced luminosity of Pleiades Nebula for increased realism
Updated distance to Puppis A
Added newly published properties for The Garnet Star
Corrected orbital parameters of Mu Ara’s planets
Removed liquid ocean from Wolf 1061 c
Updated Gliese 777 system (removed extra planets, added missing d planet, updated properties for b and c planets)
Updated the exoplanet catalogs with 27 new host stars, 30 new planets, and five new brown dwarf candidates
Added 12 new binary asteroid systems, updated some binary system names
Added newly assigned name to 1999 JB80: Karolinadziadura
Catalog Additions:
Binary Asteroids:
Nysa
Nash
Korankei
Tippett
2002 TC302
2014 GX53
1999 SY8
2013 HU156
2000 AO1
2003 SD106
Harwood
1999 BG2
Brown Dwarf Candidates:
HD 16760 b
KMT-2023-BLG-0332L b
TIC 52059926 b
TIC 9344899 b
TOI-6884 b
Exoplanets:
Gliese 3378 b
HD 5388 b
TOI-3457 b
TOI-707 b
GJ 777 A d
HD 125136 b
HD 126105 b
HD 127195 b
HD 127195 c
HD 190360 d
HIP 10090 b
HIP 10090 c
HIP 39330 b
HIP 8923 b
HIP 98599 b
KMT-2023-BLG-1592L b
NGTS-38 b
OGLE-2023-BLG-0766L b
TIC 150070085 b
TOI-1533 b
TOI-1533 c
TOI-2147 b
TOI-3664 b
TOI-4034 b
TOI-6019 b
TOI-6564 b
TOI-791 b
TOI-791 c
BET Pic d
CD-35 2722 B b
Original post
09 Jun 2026Developer post
Build 0.991.50.2145
Hey folks! No issues arose from the Beta, so the June catalog update is now live! This update brings a fix to unit conversion for stars with masses defined in kilograms, as well as a fix for artifacts with ship engine effects for those who like to fly in Ultra quality. And of cou
Hey folks!
No issues arose from the Beta, so the June catalog update is now live!
This update brings a fix to unit conversion for stars with masses defined in kilograms, as well as a fix for artifacts with ship engine effects for those who like to fly in Ultra quality. And of course, an extra large helping of catalog entries with 142 new exoplanets and more~
Changelog
Fixed artifacts with ship engine effects when using ultra quality
Fixed implementation of MassKg for star catalogs
Updated localizations for Simplified Chinese, Italian, French, and Spanish (Spain)
If you see missing translations in your language, you could help fill those gaps! Message Jonathan/MOSFET in the official Discord if you want to volunteer to translate.
Improved the accuracy of several catalog supergiant stars
Added five new binary asteroids
Fixed declinations of SN 1006 and the Stingray Nebula
Improved/reordered naming of Betelgeuse system objects
Fixed distance to NGC 5679B
Updated the exoplanet catalogs with 125 new host stars and 142 new planets
Catalog Additions
Binary asteroids:
Caravaggio
2000 CE85
2000 PT13
Michela
2015 NV28
Exoplanets:
KMT-2021-BLG-0852L b
KMT-2024-BLG-2005L b
KMT-2025-BLG-0481L b
TIC 117642575 b
TIC 139702105 b
TIC 142589416 b
TIC 153919886 b
TIC 154870955 b
TIC 160113658 b
TIC 161045582 b
TIC 178172313 b
TIC 188624430 b
TIC 18942729 b
TIC 198190129 b
TIC 206466666 b
TIC 231949697 b
TIC 24750448 b
TIC 24750448 c
TIC 249022743 b
TIC 260969020 b
TIC 270471727 b
TIC 290487717 b
TIC 294329732 b
TIC 32032563 b
TIC 320419023 b
TIC 34085383 b
TIC 349520724 b
TIC 356227008 b
TIC 38825265 b
TIC 38828280 b
TIC 390586021 b
TIC 423703298 b
TIC 437041147 b
TIC 445839811 b
TIC 62895484 b
TIC 65612701 b
TIC 67686059 b
TIC 77319217 b
TIC 77552382 b
TIC 86380416 b
TIC 88692598 b
TOI-1036 b
TOI-1105 b
TOI-1226 b
TOI-1232 b
TOI-1232 c
TOI-1269 c
TOI-1291 b
TOI-1466 b
TOI-1718 b
TOI-1722 b
TOI-1732 b
TOI-1750 b
TOI-1756 b
TOI-1814 b
TOI-1839 b
TOI-1839 c
TOI-1873 b
TOI-205 b
TOI-2071 b
TOI-209 b
TOI-2092 b
TOI-2104 b
TOI-2200 b
TOI-2227 b
TOI-2431 b
TOI-2453 b
TOI-2518 b
TOI-2654 b
TOI-3896 b
TOI-4029 b
TOI-4030 b
TOI-4156 b
TOI-4156 c
TOI-4363 b
TOI-4405 b
TOI-4511 b
TOI-4513 b
TOI-4552 b
TOI-4561 b
TOI-4578 b
TOI-4588 b
TOI-4640 b
TOI-4662 b
TOI-4747 b
TOI-4898 b
TOI-4930 b
TOI-5007 b
TOI-5159 b
TOI-5160 b
TOI-5292 A b
TOI-5335 b
TOI-5380 b
TOI-5486 b
TOI-5502 b
TOI-5515 b
TOI-5532 b
TOI-5595 b
TOI-5599 b
TOI-5605 b
TOI-5614 b
TOI-5624 b
TOI-5630 b
TOI-5777 b
TOI-5916 b
TOI-5926 b
TOI-6080 b
TOI-6281 b
TOI-6393 b
TOI-6677 b
TOI-6699 b
TOI-6707 b
TOI-6954 b
TOI-697 b
TOI-7008 b
TOI-7155 b
TOI-7333 b
TOI-799 b
TOI-808 b
TOI-883 b
TOI-921 b
TOI-929 b
TOI-938 b
TOI-941 b
WISPIT 2 c
HD 93083 c
TIC 147027702 b
TIC 183374187 b
TIC 245076932 b
TIC 87422071 b
TOI-159 b
TOI-1752 b
TOI-1752 c
TOI-201 d
TOI-237 c
TOI-4311 b
TOI-4311 c
TOI-5624 c
TOI-5624 d
TOI-5624 e
TOI-5624 f
XO-2 S
Original post
02 Jun 2026Developer post
0.991.50.2145 Public Beta
Hey folks! It's been a busy month for exoplanet data releases, with as many, if not more, than the entirety of Spring! We appreciate the increase in quantity and quality of catalog notes we've been receiving from the community across all platforms. The object-specific fixes you s
Hey folks!
It's been a busy month for exoplanet data releases, with as many, if not more, than the entirety of Spring!
We appreciate the increase in quantity and quality of catalog notes we've been receiving from the community across all platforms. The object-specific fixes you see in patch notes frequently stem from your academic finds, so keep up the good work!
This update brings a fix to unit conversion for stars with masses defined in Kg, as well as a fix for artifacts with ship engine effects for those who like to fly in Ultra quality. And of course, the catalog update with 142 new exoplanets and more~
To opt in to the Beta branch, go to your Steam library, right-click SpaceEngine, then go to Properties> Game Versions & Betas, and select beta (public beta branch) from the list.
Changelog
Fixed artifacts with ship engine effects when using ultra quality
Fixed implementation of MassKg for star catalogs
Updated localizations for Simplified Chinese, Italian, French, and Spanish (Spain)
If you see missing translations in your language, you could help fill those gaps! Message Jonathan/MOSFET in the official Discord if you want to volunteer to translate.
Improved the accuracy of several catalog supergiant stars
Added five new binary asteroids
Fixed declinations of SN 1006 and the Stingray Nebula
Improved/reordered naming of Betelgeuse system objects
Fixed distance to NGC 5679B
Updated the exoplanet catalogs with 125 new host stars and 142 new planets
Catalog Additions
Binary asteroids:
Caravaggio
2000 CE85
2000 PT13
Michela
2015 NV28
Exoplanets:
KMT-2021-BLG-0852L b
KMT-2024-BLG-2005L b
KMT-2025-BLG-0481L b
TIC 117642575 b
TIC 139702105 b
TIC 142589416 b
TIC 153919886 b
TIC 154870955 b
TIC 160113658 b
TIC 161045582 b
TIC 178172313 b
TIC 188624430 b
TIC 18942729 b
TIC 198190129 b
TIC 206466666 b
TIC 231949697 b
TIC 24750448 b
TIC 24750448 c
TIC 249022743 b
TIC 260969020 b
TIC 270471727 b
TIC 290487717 b
TIC 294329732 b
TIC 32032563 b
TIC 320419023 b
TIC 34085383 b
TIC 349520724 b
TIC 356227008 b
TIC 38825265 b
TIC 38828280 b
TIC 390586021 b
TIC 423703298 b
TIC 437041147 b
TIC 445839811 b
TIC 62895484 b
TIC 65612701 b
TIC 67686059 b
TIC 77319217 b
TIC 77552382 b
TIC 86380416 b
TIC 88692598 b
TOI-1036 b
TOI-1105 b
TOI-1226 b
TOI-1232 b
TOI-1232 c
TOI-1269 c
TOI-1291 b
TOI-1466 b
TOI-1718 b
TOI-1722 b
TOI-1732 b
TOI-1750 b
TOI-1756 b
TOI-1814 b
TOI-1839 b
TOI-1839 c
TOI-1873 b
TOI-205 b
TOI-2071 b
TOI-209 b
TOI-2092 b
TOI-2104 b
TOI-2200 b
TOI-2227 b
TOI-2431 b
TOI-2453 b
TOI-2518 b
TOI-2654 b
TOI-3896 b
TOI-4029 b
TOI-4030 b
TOI-4156 b
TOI-4156 c
TOI-4363 b
TOI-4405 b
TOI-4511 b
TOI-4513 b
TOI-4552 b
TOI-4561 b
TOI-4578 b
TOI-4588 b
TOI-4640 b
TOI-4662 b
TOI-4747 b
TOI-4898 b
TOI-4930 b
TOI-5007 b
TOI-5159 b
TOI-5160 b
TOI-5292 A b
TOI-5335 b
TOI-5380 b
TOI-5486 b
TOI-5502 b
TOI-5515 b
TOI-5532 b
TOI-5595 b
TOI-5599 b
TOI-5605 b
TOI-5614 b
TOI-5624 b
TOI-5630 b
TOI-5777 b
TOI-5916 b
TOI-5926 b
TOI-6080 b
TOI-6281 b
TOI-6393 b
TOI-6677 b
TOI-6699 b
TOI-6707 b
TOI-6954 b
TOI-697 b
TOI-7008 b
TOI-7155 b
TOI-7333 b
TOI-799 b
TOI-808 b
TOI-883 b
TOI-921 b
TOI-929 b
TOI-938 b
TOI-941 b
WISPIT 2 c
HD 93083 c
TIC 147027702 b
TIC 183374187 b
TIC 245076932 b
TIC 87422071 b
TOI-159 b
TOI-1752 b
TOI-1752 c
TOI-201 d
TOI-237 c
TOI-4311 b
TOI-4311 c
TOI-5624 c
TOI-5624 d
TOI-5624 e
TOI-5624 f
XO-2 S
Original post
04 May 2026Developer post
Build 0.991.50.2140
Hey folks! The first regular update of the year is now out on the public branch! We've been chipping away at some tricky technical issues, which will be the focus in the patch notes below. The first issue we've resolved is the "function not implemented" issue NVIDIA graphics driv
Hey folks!
The first regular update of the year is now out on the public branch! We've been chipping away at some tricky technical issues, which will be the focus in the patch notes below. The first issue we've resolved is the "function not implemented" issue NVIDIA graphics drivers ran into while trying to record. It ended up being less of a 'fix' and more of an overhaul to our video encoders.
SpaceEngine now offers multiple codecs to cover your hardware/needs: AV1, H.264, HEVC (H.265), and SVT/AOM Software AV1. Hardware encoders are divided into NVIDIA, AMD, and Intel. See the deep dive below for more.
The second under-the-hood issue resolved in this update is our file pathing. To bring SpaceEngine more in line with common industry standards (and resolve permissions issues with not doing so), we have made changes to how and where user and cache files are stored.
When you first launch SpaceEngine post-update, the program will move your user files from their previous places in the install folder to your user Documents folder ([c]%USERPROFILE%\\Documents\\Cosmographic\\SpaceEngine)[/c], and create the cache in your Local AppData folder ([c]%LOCALAPPDATA%\\Cosmographic\\SpaceEngine[/c]). This migrates the data specific to your install to the same home most software uses.
If you have a niche setup, encounter errors, or otherwise need to stay in the old self-contained setup, you can enter the following argument into your Steam Launch Options to launch in Portable Mode: [c]-paths=paths-port.cfg[/c] (In rare cases, when SpaceEngine fails to write on launch, it will automatically request to try this method). The deep dive on these changes is below as well.
Thank you for your patience while we worked internally on these changes. We hope to be back to regularly scheduled updates soon™~
Video Encoding Changes:
A recent update to NVIDIA graphics drivers dropped support for older NVENC SDK versions, causing many users to see a "Function not implemented" error when trying to record. To fix this and future-proof for other hardware, we've updated the version of FFMPEG used by SpaceEngine and added more options for users:
The Video Capture tool (F9 by default) now holds a host of codecs and formats to fit nearly all machines. Not all codecs work with all graphics hardware; you'll have to experiment to find what works best for your setup and needs.
AV1: High-end codec with good performance/quality, but requires modern GPUs (NVIDIA RTX 4000 series, AMD RX 7000 series, Intel ARC series or newer, respectively). Used for high-quality, high-resolution production or streaming.
HEVC (H.265): A high-quality native encoder, similarly ideal for production, but on a wider range of GPUs. May have compatibility issues with playback on some media players/devices.
H.264: Default for the average user. This should work on most manufacturer-supported GPUs.
SVT/AOM Software AV1: Compatible with all machines, but they use the CPU to record. SVT prioritizes performance, while AOM prioritizes quality. These are often considered a last resort for those without hardware encoding support. Users who relied on VP9 may want to switch to this codec.
Hardware encoders further specify NVIDIA, AMD, and Intel Hardware options. If you attempt to record with an incompatible codec, SpaceEngine will output an error and fail to record.
There are now two modes to choose from before capturing. You'll need to experiment to find what works best for your project:
Offline rendering (Fixed FPS): Enter a target frame rate, and SpaceEngine will throttle itself to guarantee that frame rate in the final output.
Added a new 'Asynchronous loading mode,' which will use the full multithreading capabilities of the engine to improve performance, but may show the loading/generation process in the final video.
Streaming (Real-Time): Captures the raw, real-time output of the SpaceEngine window. You can set a framerate limit with or without Vsync if desired. Output quality is heavily influenced by your bitrate preset and will ignore custom values.
File Path Changes:
To bring SpaceEngine in line with industry standards, we have made changes to how and where SpaceEngine stores user and cache files. This is a more technical deep dive; the quick-and-dirty of what you need to know is in the foreword above.
When you first launch post-update, SpaceEngine will detect and move or create files as follows. In the unlikely event SpaceEngine fails to write during this process, it will abort launch and request to launch with the old file paths (Portable mode).
The cache (models, shaders, filesys) will be created at %LOCALAPPDATA%\\Cosmographic\\SpaceEngine. The existing cache in your install folder will be deleted.
If you swap to a pre-0.991.50 version or launch in Portable mode, the cache will be rebuilt in its old location, then deleted again when you return.
Save data is now stored at %USERPROFILE%\\Documents\\Cosmographic\\SpaceEngine. The save-user.cfg and places-user.cfg files go into a 'save' folder, while all other personal .cfg files (i.e., keybinds) go into the 'config' folder. On boot, if no save data is found in this filepath, SpaceEngine will search the Steam install for existing save data, moving any it finds to the new location. For any file it can't find, new files will be generated.
Default .cfg files, such as graphical presets, will stay in the Steam install folder. These are not meant to be edited by the user and are restored anytime SpaceEngine updates.
When you swap to a build older than 0.991.50 or launch in Portable mode, your save will appear to have been wiped, as it is reading from the Steam install config folder again. To restore it, copy or move the .cfg files from the config and save folders in the new filepath back to the config folder in the Steam install. This will overwrite the blank save. Per the new boot logic, if you move the files, they will be moved back when you return to the new file pathing. If you copy them instead, you will effectively now have separate saves for either side of that breakpoint that do not interact. It is recommended that you make a backup of your SpaceEngine data before doing this.
All future exports, logs, screenshots, and videos will appear in the %USERPROFILE% filepath in corresponding subfolders. Existing media files (or any media files generated in older versions) will remain in their original places.
Logs, such as your se.log, now generate in their own 'logs' folder.
All forms of screenshots, videos, and exports populate to similarly named folders.
For PRO users, the Camera Path Editor now opens %USERPROFILE%\\Documents\\Cosmographic\\SpaceEngine\\addons\\scripts by default when you try to Save or Load a spline path. For old path files, you will need to manually navigate to the old folder in the SpaceEngine Steam folder each time, or move old content to the new location.
Scripts, catalogs, textures, pak files, and other addon files can now be searched for at three locations: The original locations of SpaceEngine\\data and SpaceEngine\\addons in the SpaceEngine Steam folder, as well as %USERPROFILE%\\Documents\\Cosmographic\\SpaceEngine\\addons. It is recommended to use the third location for ease of use.
If you are a mod/addon maker, you must manually move SpaceEngine\\workshop\\projects to %USERPROFILE%\\Documents\\Cosmographic\\SpaceEngine\\workshop\\projects for your projects to appear in the Workshop Config tool after this update. Content paths can stay as-is, but if you change them to accommodate the modified workflow (i.e., you store your content in the workshop folder), remember to update the filepath in the tool as well.
If you choose to operate in Portable mode, the tool will read from the original projects location.
To facilitate both the new file paths and the Portable mode failsafe, SE now has two sets of ‘folders.cfg’, called paths-def.cfg and paths-port.cfg.These live in the same location of the system folder in your install.
The paths-def config holds all the file paths defined above, while paths-port holds the old ones that kept everything in the install folder, identical to previous versions of SpaceEngine.
When SE launches, it will always try to write according to paths-def first. If it encounters issues at any point in the launch process (fails to create a folder/file), it will abort the process, post an error, and then request to re-launch itself using paths-port.cfg.
If you have a strong preference for the old file format (or low space in your default user location), you can opt to use paths-port.cfg first by inserting the following argument into your Steam launch options: -paths=paths-port.cfg.
Access this by right-clicking SpaceEngine in your Steam library, clicking 'Properties', and entering the argument in the text field under 'Selected Launch Option'.
If you already have save/config data moved to the default user location, it may not migrate back on its own. You will need to visit %USERPROFILE%\\Documents\\Cosmographic\\SpaceEngine and move your config/save files back to your Steam install’s config folder (you can open a Support ticket if you need help; we will be happy to assist!).
For advanced users, you can make your own file path config by copying either config file, giving it a new name, and using the above launch argument with that new file name in place of ‘paths-port.cfg’.
While you can edit either default config directly, it is not recommended, as they may be overwritten and returned to default in a future patch
By using a custom file path config, there is a risk of errors and instability. Only do this if you are confident in working with Windows file paths. A separate guide will be made to cover the nuances of file pathing.
Changelog:
Pressing the Screenshot button on the magnitudes toolbar no longer opens the screenshot folder. You must now shift + click to do so (the tutorial has been updated to reflect this)
Disabled the normal functions of edit mode keys while in edit mode, so you can focus on editing
Added new splash screen images and quotes
Added new Featured Locations from the 0.991 Featured Locations Contest
Note: Due to catalog updates, some Locations were altered or removed during implementation. All original submissions can be found in the contest-07-archive channel in our Discord
Added Tarantula Nebula with custom model
Added VFTS 234 (binary system with quiet black hole)
Added 16 new LMC globular clusters
Added LMC open clusters NGC 1850A and H88 301
Added globular cluster NGC 1049
Added Wolf-Rayet binary R145
Added 42 new ultra-cool dwarfs with rotation periods, added another 24 rotation periods to existing ultra-cool dwarfs
Updated the exoplanet catalogs with 66 new host stars and 93 new planets, six brown dwarf candidates
Added one new small moon of Uranus (S|2025 U 1)
Added 11 new moons of Saturn
Added triple quasar system LBQS 1429-0053A/B/C
Added 25 new binary asteroids and one satellite of Quaoar
Added Betelgeuse companion star, Siwarha (While Siwarha is still somewhat contested, recent evidence heavily favors its existence)
Added RR Lyrae name to HIP 95497 and updated its spectral type
Added Gaia designations for 107,567 stars
Fixed dozens of galaxies in the Virgo and Fornax clusters
Improved orientation of all Messier galaxies
Improved several Local Group galaxies
Improved rendering of elliptical galaxies
Fixed parent galaxy of Fornax A*
Updated the distance and spectral type of x Carinae
Updated orbital information for asteroids Salacia and Actaea
Updated the spectral type and other parameters of WOH G64
Improved position/size/orientation of LMC
Improved the HIP 81208 system
Removed refuted planets Fomalhaut b and 42 Dra b
Removed duplicate of planet CFHTWIR-Oph 98 A b
Fixed an issue where planets 55 Cancri B b and 55 Cancri B c orbited the planet 55 Cancri A b instead of the star 55 Cancri B
Fixed a bug where planet temperatures displayed in the Solar System Browser changed when entering Chart Mode
Fixed Location thumbnail fitting method on ultra-wide displays (shown on-screen during pre-loading)
Unlinked scrollbars in the Locations menu; this fixes an issue where one tab could appear empty after scrolling too far on the other
Improved the Planetarium Tutorials with updated language and fixed multiple progression stops
Wireframe in the nebula editor now works outside of debug mode
Replaced ‘folders.cfg’ with two file path configs: paths-def.cfg for the new file paths and paths-port.cfg for the old ones
In rare cases, when SE fails to launch with the new file paths, it will request to use the old ones (paths-port.cfg) as a failsafe
Added a new launch argument, ‘-paths=’ to support opting in to paths-port.cfg if desired
Catalog Additions:
Exoplanets:
NGTS-34 b
NGTS-35 b
TOI-1422 c
TOI-1472 c
TOI-1648 b
TOI-3288 b
TOI-333 b
TOI-4507 b
TOI-4666 b
TOI-4940 b
TOI-521 b
TOI-5349 b
TOI-5489 b
TOI-5489 c
TOI-5716 b
TOI-5728 b
TOI-5736 b
TOI-6041 b
TOI-6041 c
TOI-6448 b
TOI-7166 b
TOI-7510 b
TOI-7510 c
TOI-7510 d
TOI-912
Gliese 3090 c
Gliese 4274 b
Gliese 4274 c
HD 176986 d
TOI-1774 c/HD 85426 c
KMT-2022-BLG-1818L b
KMT-2022-BLG-1818L c
KMT-2025-BLG-1616L b
TOI-1054.01
TOI-1230.01
TOI-1243 b
TOI-1774.01
TOI-261.02
TOI-4495 b
TOI-4495 c
TOI-4529 b
TOI-5788 b
TOI-5788 c
TOI-5789 b
TOI-5789 c
TOI-5789 d
TOI-5789 e
TOI-6692 b
TOI-6716 b
TOI-682.01
TOI-7384 b
KOINTREAU-1 b
DMPP-2 c
DMPP-2 d
DMPP-6 b
DMPP-6 c
DMPP-7 b
DMPP-8 b
DMPP-9 b
Gliese 887 d
Gliese 887 e
HD 100508 b
HD 164604 c
HD 48265 c
HD 68475 b
KMT-2016-BLG-1337L b
KMT-2020-BLG-0202L b
KMT-2022-BLG-1551L b
KMT-2023-BLG-0466L b
KMT-2024-BLG-0176L b
KMT-2024-BLG-0349L b
KMT-2024-BLG-1870L b
KMT-2024-BLG-2087L b
KMT-2025-BLG-0121L b
ISO-Oph 96 b/KOINTREAU-3 b
LHS 1903 b
LHS 1903 c
LHS 1903 d
LHS 1903 e
TOI-1080 b
TOI-2094 b
TOI-2133 b
TOI-2267 b
TOI-2267 c
TOI-2267 d
TOI-375 b
TOI-375 c
TOI-375 d
TOI-3862 b
TOI-4336 A c
TOI-5734 b
TOI-5938 b
TOI-7009 b
Brown Dwarf Candidates:
HD 128717 b
HIP 54515 b
KMT-2024-BLG-1005L b
V2376 Ori
TOI-5422 b
Binary Asteroids:
2001 QS4 system
(60050) 1999 TJ106
(48489) 1992 EZ28
(33956) 2000 NN3
(4350) Shibecha
(11361) Orbinskij
(50142) 2000 AY129
(7563) 1988 BC
1999 KP4 system
(108968) 2001 PE40
(720) Bohlinia
(13234) Natashaowen
(13166) 1995 WU1
(2607) Yakutia
(3918) Brel
(14708) Slaven
(60186) Las Cruces
(8930) Kubota
(6690) Messick
(4373) Crespo
(8895) Nha
(67426) 2000 QA98
2024 XW49 system
(849935) 2006 RA55
(44168) 1998 JJ4
Saturn Moons:
S|2020 S 45
S|2020 S 46
S|2020 S 47
S|2020 S 48
S|2023 S 51
S|2023 S 52
S|2023 S 53
S|2023 S 54
S|2023 S 55
S|2023 S 56
S|2023 S 57
Ultra-Cool Dwarfs:
Note: Some objects have multiple names. These are separated by a forward slash (/)
LSPM J1025+0512/CNS5 2553/2MASS J10252645+0512391
2MASS J13365044+4751321/SDSS J133650.50+475132.1
LSPM J0036+1821/2MASS J00361617+1821104/CNS5 175
2MASS J08490052+0220155
WT 887/2MASS J22135048-6342100/DENIS J221350.4-634210
LP 944-20/CNS5 931/2MASS J03393521-3525440
2MASS J12322390+2528259/CNS5 3088
J0805+0417/CNS5 1997/2MASS J08055713+0417035
2MASS J14121476+3053316
LSPM J1450+4723/2MASS J14503658+4723574
LP 427-38/2MASS J09253485+1704415
LP 295-444/2MASS J01341928+2919571
2MASS J16224204+3252252
LP 828-75/2MASS J01514778-2305333
2MASS J00140580-3245599
2MASS J07465323+3945098
LP 849-69/2MASS J10593133-2409548
2MASS J04393407-3235516/CNS5 1161
LP 549-39/2MASS J10172680+0719260
LP 675-7/CNS5 3045/2MASS J12235208-0858432
LP 134-7/CNS5 3557/2MASS J14230252+5146303
LSPM J1050+4907/2MASS J10503222+4907423
LP 588-61/2MASS J01484747+0014290
LSPM J0137+0036/2MASS J01371937+0036128
2MASS J11221075+4228366
LSPM J1049+2538/2MASS J10494146+2538535
LSPM J1252+2528/2MASS J12522354+2528469
LP 413-28/2MASS J03405493+1929474
LP 399-274/2MASS J22244238+2230425/CNS5 5528
2MASS J10120649-3049263/CNS5 2506
LSPM J0449+5138/2MASS J04490464+5138412/CNS5 1206
LP 369-27/CNS5 2319/2MASS J09192021+2154324
LEHPM 1188/2MASS J01031199-5351433
SDSS J092554.83+300755.8/2MASS J09255469+3007571
LP 266-16/2MASS J12080810+3520281/LHS 2514
LP 94-310/2MASS J11442261+5821595
LP 555-25/CNS5 3073/2MASS J12294530+0752379
2MASS J01581572+1807128/CNS5 502
LP 649-72/2MASS J02141251-0357434/CNS5 568/LHS 1363
LP 93-438/2MASS J11115476+5657296/LHS 2371
LSPM J1231+5130/2MASS J12315462+5130389
LP 484-38/2MASS J08134347+1329384/NLTT 19149
Star Clusters (not already named above):
NGC 1846
NGC 1850
NGC 1854
NGC 1856
NGC 1866
NGC 1868
NGC 1872
NGC 1898
NGC 1903
NGC 2003
NGC 2005
NGC 2019
NGC 2041
NGC 2108
NGC 2210
NGC 2257
Miscellaneous:
New Quaroar satellite: S/2025 (50000) 1
Original post
27 Apr 2026Developer post
0.991.50.2140 Public Beta Update
Hey folks! Thanks for the feedback and reports from the Beta branch. We’ve made some tweaks to the Beta that, barring any issues, should move to public very soon. The focus of this patch is to iterate on our file path changes and give folks the option to keep the old paths if the
Hey folks!
Thanks for the feedback and reports from the Beta branch. We’ve made some tweaks to the Beta that, barring any issues, should move to public very soon. The focus of this patch is to iterate on our file path changes and give folks the option to keep the old paths if they experience Windows permission issues.
Changelog:
The cache is now created in your %LOCALAPPDATA% folder, rather than %APPDATA%. The old cache location can be safely deleted
Wireframe in the nebula editor now works outside of debug mode
Fixed a start failure in SteamVR mode
Thumbnails for Locations now correctly transfer on first launch
More specifically, when SE moves places-user.cfg from the Steam install to %USERPROFILE%, it will also move the described thumbnails
Replaced ‘folders.cfg’ with two file path configs: paths-def.cfg for the new file paths and paths-port.cfg for the old ones. (See below for a deep dive on what this means)
Added a new launch argument, ‘-paths=’ (See below)
Reverted the fix for oblate planet densities, as it was causing issues with custom planet masses. This may be revisited later.
Portable Mode/Custom File Paths
When the Beta launched, select users experienced a “failed to create log file” error, where the program couldn’t create all the files it needed and failed to start. We have determined this is likely a write permissions issue due to custom/restrictive security settings in Windows. To account for these situations (as well as some general feedback), we’ve added a new failsafe to start in 'portable mode'.
SpaceEngine now has two sets of 'folders' configs, called paths-def.cfg and paths-port.cfg.
The paths-def config is the new default file path config used by SE, writing the cache to %LOCALAPPDATA% and user data to %USERPROFILE%
The paths-port config holds the old filepaths that kept everything in the install folder, identical to previous versions of SpaceEngine
When SE launches, it will always try to write according to paths-def first. If it encounters issues at any point in the launch process (fails to create a folder/file), it will abort the process. It will then request to re-launch itself using paths-port.cfg
If you have a strong preference for the old file format (or limited space in your default user location), you can opt to use paths-port.cfg first by inserting the following argument into your Steam launch options: -paths=paths-port.cfg
Access this by right-clicking SpaceEngine in your Steam library, clicking 'Properties' and entering the argument in the text field under 'Selected Launch Option'
If you already have save/config data moved to the default user location, it will not migrate back on its own. You will need to visit %USERPROFILE%\\Documents\\Cosmographic\\SpaceEngine and move your config/save files back to your Steam install’s config folder (you can open a Support ticket if you need help; we will be happy to assist!)
For advanced users, you can make your own file path config by copying either config file, giving it a new name, and using the above launch argument with that new file name in place of ‘paths-port.cfg’
While you can edit either default config directly, it is not recommended, as they may be overwritten or returned to default when updating
By using a custom file path config, there is a risk of errors and instability. Only do this if you are confident in working with Windows OS file paths.
Original post
02 Apr 2026Developer post
0.991.50.2125 Public Beta
Hey folks! The first regular update of the year is now available on the beta branch. In this update are two major changes: file paths and video encoding. Each is outlined below, and all of this information will be permanently housed on the #guides channel on our Discord. Also in
Hey folks!
The first regular update of the year is now available on the beta branch. In this update are two major changes: file paths and video encoding. Each is outlined below, and all of this information will be permanently housed on the #guides channel on our Discord.
Also in this update are all the fixes and catalog additions/changes since our last update in December, as well as tutorial fixes and new Featured Locations from the 0.991 Locations Contest.
Opting into the beta branch looks slightly different now. You still right-click SpaceEngine in your Steam library and hit Properties, but "Betas" is now "Game Versions & Betas", with a more descriptive list of branches rather than a dropdown. "Public" is now "Default Public Version." The "beta" option is still used to join the beta.
File Path Changes:
To bring SpaceEngine more in line with common industry standards, we have made changes to how and where SpaceEngine stores user and cache files.
If you are a casual user and don't want to move files manually, it is recommended that you either remain on the Beta branch during the testing phase or wait for the full release. If you plan to swap branches or play with files during the Beta, it is recommended that you back up your user files (places-user.cfg, main-user.cfg, keys.cfg, etc.) to a separate location so you don't lose anything.
When you first launch post-update, SpaceEngine will detect and move/create files as follows:
The cache (models, shaders, filesys) will be created at %APPDATA%\\Cosmographic\\SpaceEngine. The existing cache in your install folder will be deleted.
If you swap to a pre-0.991.50 version, the cache will be rebuilt in its old location, then deleted again when you return.
Save data is now stored at %USERPROFILE%\\Documents\\Cosmographic\\SpaceEngine. The save-user.cfg and places-user.cfg files go into a 'save' folder, while all other personal .cfg files (i.e., keybinds) go into the 'config' folder. On boot, if no save data is found in this file path, SpaceEngine will first search the Steam install for existing save data, moving any it finds to the new location. For any file it can't find, new files will be generated.
Thumbnails for your custom Locations will need to be regenerated by visiting them again once each. These thumbnails are stored in the 'save' folder alongside your places-user.cfg and save-user.cfg.
Default .cfg files, such as graphical presets, will stay in the Steam install folder. These are not meant to be edited by the user and are now restored anytime SpaceEngine updates.
When you swap to a build older than 0.991.50 (i.e., visiting your old 990 locations), your save will appear to have been wiped, as it is reading from the Steam install config folder again. To restore it, you can either copy or move the .cfg files from the config/save folder in the new file path back to the config folder in the Steam install, overwriting the blank save. Per the new boot logic, if you move the files, they will be moved back when you return to 0.991.50. If you copy them instead, you will effectively now have separate saves for either side of that breakpoint that do not interact. It is recommended that you make a backup of all files you plan to move/copy before you do this.
All future exports, logs, screenshots, and videos will appear in the %USERPROFILE% file path in corresponding subfolders. Existing media files (or any generated in older versions) will remain in their original places.
Logs, such as your se.log, now generate in their own 'logs' folder.
All forms of screenshots, videos, and exports populate together into similarly named folders.
For PRO users, the Camera Path Editor now opens %USERPROFILE%\\Documents\\Cosmographic\\SpaceEngine\\addons\\scripts by default when you try to Save or Load a spline path. For old path files, you will need to manually navigate to the old folder in the SpaceEngine Steam folder each time, or move old content to the new location.
Scripts, catalogs, textures, .pak files, and other addon files are now searched for at three locations: The original locations of SpaceEngine\\data and SpaceEngine\\addons in the SpaceEngine Steam folder, as well as %USERPROFILE%\\Documents\\Cosmographic\\SpaceEngine\\addons. It is recommended to use the third location for ease-of-use. Subscribed addons from the Steam Workshop are unchanged.
If you are a mod/addon maker, you must manually move SpaceEngine\\workshop\\projects to %USERPROFILE%\\Documents\\Cosmographic\\SpaceEngine\\workshop\\projects for your projects to appear in the Workshop Config tool after this update. Content paths can stay as-is, but if you change them to accommodate the modified workflow (i.e., you store your content in the workshop folder), remember to update the file path in the tool as well.
Video Encoding Changes:
A recent update to NVIDIA graphics drivers dropped support for older NVENC SDK versions, causing many users to see a "Function not implemented" error when trying to record. To fix this and future-proof for other hardware, we've updated the version of FFMPEG used by SpaceEngine and added more options for users:
The Video Capture tool (F9 by default) now holds a host of codecs and formats to fit nearly all machines. Not all codecs work with all graphics hardware; you'll have to experiment to find what works best for your setup and needs.
AV1: High-end codec with good performance/quality, but requires modern GPUs (NVIDIA RTX 4000 series, AMD RX 7000 series, Intel ARC series or newer, respectively). Used for high-quality, high-resolution production or streaming.
HEVC (H.265): A high-quality native encoder, similarly ideal for production, but on a wider range of GPUs. May have compatibility issues with playback on some media players/devices.
H.264: Default for the average user. This should work on most manufacturer-supported GPUs.
SVT/AOM Software AV1: Compatible with all machines, but they use the CPU to record. SVT prioritizes performance, while AOM prioritizes quality. These are often considered a last resort for those without hardware encoding support. Users who relied on VP9 may want to switch to this codec.
Hardware encoders further specify NVIDIA, AMD, and Intel Hardware options. If you attempt to record with an incompatible codec, SpaceEngine will output an error and fail to record.
There are now two modes to choose from before capturing. You'll need to experiment to find what works best for your project:
Offline rendering (Fixed FPS): Enter a target frame rate, and SpaceEngine will throttle itself to guarantee that frame rate in the final output.
Added a new 'Asynchronous loading mode,' which will use the full multithreading capabilities of the engine to improve performance, but may show the loading/generation process in the final video.
Streaming (Real-Time): Captures the raw, real-time output of the SpaceEngine window. You can set a framerate limit with or without Vsync if desired. Output quality is heavily influenced by your bitrate preset and will ignore custom values.
Changelog:
Pressing the Screenshot button on the magnitudes toolbar no longer opens the screenshot folder. You must now shift + click to do so (the tutorial has been updated to reflect this)
Disabled the normal functions of edit mode keys while in edit mode, so you can focus on editing
Added new splash screen images and quotes
Added new Featured Locations from the 0.991 Featured Locations Contest
Note: Due to catalog updates, some Locations were altered or removed during implementation. All original submissions can be found in the contest-07-archive channel in our Discord
Added Tarantula Nebula with custom model
Added VFTS 234 (binary system with quiet black hole)
Added 16 new LMC globular clusters
Added LMC open clusters NGC 1850A and H88 301
Added globular cluster NGC 1049
Added Wolf-Rayet binary R145
Added 42 new ultra-cool dwarfs with rotation periods, added another 24 rotation periods to existing ultra-cool dwarfs
Updated the exoplanet catalogs with 66 new host stars and 93 new planets, six brown dwarf candidates
Added one new small moon of Uranus (S|2025 U 1)
Added 11 new moons of Saturn
Added triple quasar system LBQS 1429-0053A/B/C
Added 25 new binary asteroids and one satellite of Quaoar
Added Betelgeuse companion star, Siwarha (While Siwarha is still somewhat contested, recent evidence heavily favors its existence)
Added RR Lyrae name to HIP 95497 and updated its spectral type
Added Gaia designations for 107,567 stars
Fixed dozens of galaxies in the Virgo and Fornax clusters
Improved orientation of all Messier galaxies
Improved several Local Group galaxies
Improved rendering of elliptical galaxies
Fixed parent galaxy of Fornax A*
Updated the distance and spectral type of x Carinae
Updated orbital information for asteroids Salacia and Actaea
Updated the spectral type and other parameters of WOH G64
Improved position/size/orientation of LMC
Improved the HIP 81208 system
Removed refuted planets Fomalhaut b and 42 Dra b
Removed duplicate of planet CFHTWIR-Oph 98 A b
Fixed an issue where planets 55 Cancri B b and 55 Cancri B c orbited the planet 55 Cancri A b instead of the star 55 Cancri B
Fixed a bug where planet temperatures displayed in the Solar System Browser changed when entering Chart Mode
Fixed a bug where oblate planets were too dense
Fixed Location thumbnail fitting method on ultra-wide displays (shown on-screen during pre-loading)
Unlinked scrollbars in the Locations menu; this fixes an issue where one tab could appear empty after scrolling too far on the other
Improved the Planetarium Tutorials with updated language and fixed multiple progression stops
Catalog Additions:
Exoplanets:
NGTS-34 b
NGTS-35 b
TOI-1422 c
TOI-1472 c
TOI-1648 b
TOI-3288 b
TOI-333 b
TOI-4507 b
TOI-4666 b
TOI-4940 b
TOI-521 b
TOI-5349 b
TOI-5489 b
TOI-5489 c
TOI-5716 b
TOI-5728 b
TOI-5736 b
TOI-6041 b
TOI-6041 c
TOI-6448 b
TOI-7166 b
TOI-7510 b
TOI-7510 c
TOI-7510 d
TOI-912
Gliese 3090 c
Gliese 4274 b
Gliese 4274 c
HD 176986 d
TOI-1774 c/HD 85426 c
KMT-2022-BLG-1818L b
KMT-2022-BLG-1818L c
KMT-2025-BLG-1616L b
TOI-1054.01
TOI-1230.01
TOI-1243 b
TOI-1774.01
TOI-261.02
TOI-4495 b
TOI-4495 c
TOI-4529 b
TOI-5788 b
TOI-5788 c
TOI-5789 b
TOI-5789 c
TOI-5789 d
TOI-5789 e
TOI-6692 b
TOI-6716 b
TOI-682.01
TOI-7384 b
KOINTREAU-1 b
DMPP-2 c
DMPP-2 d
DMPP-6 b
DMPP-6 c
DMPP-7 b
DMPP-8 b
DMPP-9 b
Gliese 887 d
Gliese 887 e
HD 100508 b
HD 164604 c
HD 48265 c
HD 68475 b
KMT-2016-BLG-1337L b
KMT-2020-BLG-0202L b
KMT-2022-BLG-1551L b
KMT-2023-BLG-0466L b
KMT-2024-BLG-0176L b
KMT-2024-BLG-0349L b
KMT-2024-BLG-1870L b
KMT-2024-BLG-2087L b
KMT-2025-BLG-0121L b
ISO-Oph 96 b/KOINTREAU-3 b
LHS 1903 b
LHS 1903 c
LHS 1903 d
LHS 1903 e
TOI-1080 b
TOI-2094 b
TOI-2133 b
TOI-2267 b
TOI-2267 c
TOI-2267 d
TOI-375 b
TOI-375 c
TOI-375 d
TOI-3862 b
TOI-4336 A c
TOI-5734 b
TOI-5938 b
TOI-7009 b
Brown Dwarf Candidates:
HD 128717 b
HIP 54515 b
KMT-2024-BLG-1005L b
V2376 Ori
TOI-5422 b
Binary Asteroids:
2001 QS4 system
(60050) 1999 TJ106
(48489) 1992 EZ28
(33956) 2000 NN3
(4350) Shibecha
(11361) Orbinskij
(50142) 2000 AY129
(7563) 1988 BC
1999 KP4 system
(108968) 2001 PE40
(720) Bohlinia
(13234) Natashaowen
(13166) 1995 WU1
(2607) Yakutia
(3918) Brel
(14708) Slaven
(60186) Las Cruces
(8930) Kubota
(6690) Messick
(4373) Crespo
(8895) Nha
(67426) 2000 QA98
2024 XW49 system
(849935) 2006 RA55
(44168) 1998 JJ4
Saturn Moons:
S|2020 S 45
S|2020 S 46
S|2020 S 47
S|2020 S 48
S|2023 S 51
S|2023 S 52
S|2023 S 53
S|2023 S 54
S|2023 S 55
S|2023 S 56
S|2023 S 57
Ultra-Cool Dwarfs:
Note: Some objects have multiple names. These are separated by a forward slash (/)
LSPM J1025+0512/CNS5 2553/2MASS J10252645+0512391
2MASS J13365044+4751321/SDSS J133650.50+475132.1
LSPM J0036+1821/2MASS J00361617+1821104/CNS5 175
2MASS J08490052+0220155
WT 887/2MASS J22135048-6342100/DENIS J221350.4-634210
LP 944-20/CNS5 931/2MASS J03393521-3525440
2MASS J12322390+2528259/CNS5 3088
J0805+0417/CNS5 1997/2MASS J08055713+0417035
2MASS J14121476+3053316
LSPM J1450+4723/2MASS J14503658+4723574
LP 427-38/2MASS J09253485+1704415
LP 295-444/2MASS J01341928+2919571
2MASS J16224204+3252252
LP 828-75/2MASS J01514778-2305333
2MASS J00140580-3245599
2MASS J07465323+3945098
LP 849-69/2MASS J10593133-2409548
2MASS J04393407-3235516/CNS5 1161
LP 549-39/2MASS J10172680+0719260
LP 675-7/CNS5 3045/2MASS J12235208-0858432
LP 134-7/CNS5 3557/2MASS J14230252+5146303
LSPM J1050+4907/2MASS J10503222+4907423
LP 588-61/2MASS J01484747+0014290
LSPM J0137+0036/2MASS J01371937+0036128
2MASS J11221075+4228366
LSPM J1049+2538/2MASS J10494146+2538535
LSPM J1252+2528/2MASS J12522354+2528469
LP 413-28/2MASS J03405493+1929474
LP 399-274/2MASS J22244238+2230425/CNS5 5528
2MASS J10120649-3049263/CNS5 2506
LSPM J0449+5138/2MASS J04490464+5138412/CNS5 1206
LP 369-27/CNS5 2319/2MASS J09192021+2154324
LEHPM 1188/2MASS J01031199-5351433
SDSS J092554.83+300755.8/2MASS J09255469+3007571
LP 266-16/2MASS J12080810+3520281/LHS 2514
LP 94-310/2MASS J11442261+5821595
LP 555-25/CNS5 3073/2MASS J12294530+0752379
2MASS J01581572+1807128/CNS5 502
LP 649-72/2MASS J02141251-0357434/CNS5 568/LHS 1363
LP 93-438/2MASS J11115476+5657296/LHS 2371
LSPM J1231+5130/2MASS J12315462+5130389
LP 484-38/2MASS J08134347+1329384/NLTT 19149
Star Clusters (not already named above):
NGC 1846
NGC 1850
NGC 1854
NGC 1856
NGC 1866
NGC 1868
NGC 1872
NGC 1898
NGC 1903
NGC 2003
NGC 2005
NGC 2019
NGC 2041
NGC 2108
NGC 2210
NGC 2257
Miscellaneous:
New Quaroar satellite: S/2025 (50000) 1
Original post
19 Feb 2026Developer post
SpaceEngine Merchandise Now Available!
Hey folks! We've been at work behind the scenes on something many have been waiting for: merch! This first collection primarily features the classic blue SpaceEngine logo, as well as iconic scenes, like objects from our Solar System. On offer are display pieces like posters and b
08 Dec 2025Developer post
Build 0.991.49.2095
Hey Folks! With Beta formalities concluded, our tiny patch is now on Public. Just a quick fix, plus the monthly serving of catalog updates~ Carrying over the fun fact from the Beta: if you've been wondering where the host stars are in the Catalog Additions, we only include entrie
Hey Folks!
With Beta formalities concluded, our tiny patch is now on Public. Just a quick fix, plus the monthly serving of catalog updates~
Carrying over the fun fact from the Beta: if you've been wondering where the host stars are in the Catalog Additions, we only include entries not in systems of added exoplanets. If you enjoy browsing new entries, you'll see all the stars on the way!
Changelog:
Fixed a bug where "NaN" values appeared in the Wiki for some solar system moons
Removed refuted planets Kapteyn b and c
Updated the exoplanet catalogs with 15 new host stars and 24 new planets
Catalog Additions:
Stars:
BEBOP-4 AB (binary)
Brown Dwarf Candidates:
BEBOP-4 AB b
Exoplanets:
55 Cnc B b
55 Cnc B c
BD+37 3172 b
BD+42 2315 b
Gliese 251 c
HD 196067 c
HD 23079 c
HIP 111909 b
HIP 111909 c
HIP 18606 b
KMT-2023-BLG-0548L b
KMT-2023-BLG-0830L b
KMT-2023-BLG-0949L b
KMT-2024-BLG-1281L b
KMT-2024-BLG-2059L b
KMT-2024-BLG-2242L b
TOI-2093 b
TOI-2093 c
TOI-2345 b
TOI-2345 c
TOI-283 b
TOI-756 b
TOI-756 c
Original post
03 Dec 2025Developer post
0.991.49.2095 Public Beta
Hey folks! We're squeezing in one more tiny patch before the holidays, with monthly catalog additions and a fix. This Beta window serves as a brief sanity check (To opt in, go to Steam Library, right click SpaceEngine, then click Properties> Betas and select the beta branch).
Hey folks!
We're squeezing in one more tiny patch before the holidays, with monthly catalog additions and a fix. This Beta window serves as a brief sanity check (To opt in, go to Steam Library, right click SpaceEngine, then click Properties> Betas and select the beta branch).
Speaking of sanity checks, if you've been wondering where the host stars are in the Catalog Additions of today and before, they usually get rolled into the planets they host to prevent near-duplicate entries~
Changelog:
Fixed a bug where "NaN" values appeared in the Wiki for some solar system moons
Removed refuted planets Kapteyn b and c
Updated the exoplanet catalogs with 15 new host stars and 24 new planets
Catalog Additions:
Stars:
BEBOP-4 AB (binary)
Brown Dwarf Candidates:
BEBOP-4 AB b
Exoplanets:
55 Cnc B b
55 Cnc B c
BD+37 3172 b
BD+42 2315 b
Gliese 251 c
HD 196067 c
HD 23079 c
HIP 111909 b
HIP 111909 c
HIP 18606 b
KMT-2023-BLG-0548L b
KMT-2023-BLG-0830L b
KMT-2023-BLG-0949L b
KMT-2024-BLG-1281L b
KMT-2024-BLG-2059L b
KMT-2024-BLG-2242L b
TOI-2093 b
TOI-2093 c
TOI-2345 b
TOI-2345 c
TOI-283 b
TOI-756 b
TOI-756 c
Original post
19 Nov 2025Developer post
Build 0.991.49.2090: The Universe Generation Update
Hey folks! Our next major patch, 0.991: The Universe Generation Update, is now live! This update brings major changes to SpaceEngine’s procedural generation systems, elevating all things beyond the known universe and breaking from the dreaded giant-terra-giant-terra pattern. Gene
Hey folks!
Our next major patch, 0.991: The Universe Generation Update, is now live! This update brings major changes to SpaceEngine’s procedural generation systems, elevating all things beyond the known universe and breaking from the dreaded giant-terra-giant-terra pattern.
Generation changes like this cause a universe reset— recalculating the 'where' and 'what' of all procedural objects. For established users, this means information like screenshots, saved locations, and procedural object names from 0.990 will likely no longer be accurate*. Fear not for your 0.990 records, however! For posterity, build 0.990.48.2075 has been saved as a legacy branch and is available in the Betas dropdown (Steam library, right click SpaceEngine, Properties, Betas).
(* data from Beta Update 2 will carry over)
The changelog section at the bottom outlines everything new to SpaceEngine in 0.991.49.2090. Below we’ve highlighted some of the immediate changes you’ll find in the update:
Planetary Generation
In 0.991, expect system-to-system exploration to become more interesting! The old giant-terra-giant-terra meander sequence has been replaced with a more diversified procedure. This includes dwarf planets, which did exist in 0.990, but were exceedingly rare.
Comparison of the 'same' system between 0.990 and 0.991
You’ll also find greater diversity among planetary rings (including rings for smaller objects like dwarf moons), accretion disks, and more!
Graphical Tweaks
We’ve also made some tweaks to visualization for star surfaces and underwater terrain.
Sunspots and granulation patterns in 0.990 had contrast much higher than in reality. With this update, they look closer to real-life images. On top of that, we’ve updated calculations so that the visual temperatures of these features are determined by the effective temperature of the star.
A comparison of granules and sunspots on a G2V star in 0.990 (left) and 0.991 (right).
Also new with 0.991, the terrain of underwater surfaces mimics the absorption of light, darkening as you increase depth. This is a small shader change, but lets you feel just how far down you’ve gone.
Sea floor images from a variety of depths, showing their appearance in 0.990 (left) and 0.991 (right).
Math Overhauls
Finally, we’ve updated the math for several aspects of procedural generation. We’ve already mentioned planetary generation and sunspot temperature, but that’s far from everything! We’ve also overhauled the math behind:
Globular cluster generation
Effective temperature/radii for main sequence M dwarfs and L, T, and Y brown dwarfs
Mass-radius distribution of terrestrial planets
Iron core mass distribution in terrestrial planets
Eccentric orbits (greatly reducing the likelihood of planet/star or planet/planet collisions)
Galaxy type generation probabilities
For those who want to read more, see the Overview article from September
What you don’t see here is all the hard work that went into fixes and testing during the Beta, both by the team and you, our dedicated community. We opened to Beta on September 15th; then, over the course of two months of daily feedback (and three total resets), we’ve packed in several further fixes to make this the best build it can be, as well as logging many more reports and suggestions for the next major update.
It’s all thanks to you, our community of space enthusiasts, that we can keep working on this project. We’ve made a solid leap with 0.991, and have much more planned for future updates. Thank you!
Changelog:
Editor’s Note: Changelog reflects changes between 0.990.48.2075 and 0.991.49.2090. Fixes between beta patches are excluded. Duplicate entries from beta patch notes imply the issue(s) pre-dated 0.991.
Improved procedural planetary generation, fixing giant-terra-giant-terra meander sequence and increasing diversity of procedural systems
Improved diversity of properties of procedural rings and accretion disks
Improved generation of dwarf planets; previously, they were far too rare
Calibrated mass-radius distribution of terrestrial planets
Calibrated iron core mass distribution in terrestrial planets
Updated effective temperature calculations for M5-M8 (main sequence), L, T, and Y spectral types
Updated radii calculations for L, T, and Y spectral types
Updated star system seed generation
Improved temperature generation for star granules (convection cells)
Improved temperature generation for sunspots
Improved shading of underwater surfaces to mimic absorption of sunlight by water; your view now darkens and fades as depth increases
Improved generation of globular cluster luminosities
Increased the number of globular clusters generated in galaxies
Increased the maximum number of clusters per galaxy
Added ability to specify the number of globular clusters in a catalog galaxy (galaxy catalog keyword: GlobClusters)
Updated galaxy type generation probabilities
Increased suppression of procedurally generated galaxies near the Milky Way (Procedural content can be toggled in the Filter Objects settings)
Improved radius-luminosity relationship for elliptical galaxies
Added new Featured Locations procured by the SE team to partially replace many that were lost when the universe reset (more to come on this in the new year~)
Improved brightness of blurred interface background relative to main scene
Added "deselect" console/script command to deselect objects (in addition to "unselect")
Fixed a bug where binary planet orbits were often oriented on-edge, “cartwheeling” around their host stars.
Fixed a bug where comets, asteroids, and moons could be assigned incorrect temperature classes. Classes for all planets/moons/comets/asteroids are now based on their time-averaged distance from their host star(s).
Fixed a bug causing incorrect procedural metallicity of stars
Fixed a bug with generation of double Wolf-Rayet systems, where the secondary star had hundreds of times larger luminosity than the whole system
Fixed a bug where every solo star (not in a multiple-star system) had the same axial tilt of 100.28 degrees.
Fixed multiple bugs causing cases where a star's age could be greater than its lifetime
Fixed a potential bug where the star generator thread can overrun its working array, corrupting data in the other worker thread's working array
Fixed a bug in calculation of stellar magnitudes
Fixed a bug with star corona coloration
Fixed a bug in the Climate Model where planets in systems with a binary star could have a huge temperature spike
Fixed a bug where catalog stars with no physical info aside from apparent magnitude would default to spectral type M2V
Fixed a bug where changing the oblateness in the Planet Editor was not reflected in the Wiki.
Fixed a bug causing lava to appear ~10% hotter than it should
Catalog Updates:
Added several of the brightest and largest known galaxies (see Catalog Additions below)
Added LMC globular cluster NGC 1978
Added LMC open cluster NGC 2164
Updated distances and magnitudes for numerous galaxies, especially in the Local Group
Tweaked brightness of a few Local Group elliptical galaxy models
Removed unsupported/refuted black holes
Changed “Central Black Hole” affix to an asterisk (*) to match astronomical naming conventions
Updated distance and size of the Owl Nebula
Updated atmospheric composition for K2-18 b
Updated 2M1510 to be a triple system with the correct orbits
Updated physical parameters of the PSR J2222-0137 pulsar+WD system
Updated distance to SPECULOOS-3
Updated WOH G64 Star
Added star UDF 2457 (most distant Milky Way star visible in Hubble Ultra Deep Field)
Reclassified Quaoar as a dwarf planet and its moon as a dwarf moon
Updated distance and location for PZ Cassiopeiae
Updated the exoplanet catalogs with 78 new host stars and 105 new planets (plus 1 planemo)
Catalog Additions:
Galaxies:
Abell 2261 BCG
ESO 383-76/Abell 3571 BCG
ESO 248-6/ACO 3112 BCG
ESO 409-25/ACO 2734 BCG
ACO 3039 BCG
ESO 347-9/ACO 3998 BCG
Planemo:
OGLE-2015-BLG-1609L b
Brown dwarf candidates:
TOI-201 c
KMT-2024-BLG-0404L B
KMT-2024-BLG-0404L C
Exoplanets:
KOI-134 b
KOI-134 c
Kepler-725 c
L 98-59 f
TIC 88785435 b
TOI-1117 b
TOI-1117 c
TOI-1117 d
TOI-1238 b
TOI-1238 c
TOI-1846 b
TOI-2031 A b
TOI-2169 A b
TOI-2346 b
TOI-2382 b
TOI-2407 b
TOI-2876 b
TOI-2886 b
TOI-2986 b
TOI-2992 b
TOI-3135 b
TOI-3160 A b
TOI-3464 b
TOI-3474 b
TOI-3486 b
TOI-3523 A b
TOI-3593 b
TOI-3682 b
TOI-3856 b
TOI-3877 b
TOI-3980 b
TOI-4214 b
TOI-4465 b
TOI-4487 A b
TOI-4734 b
TOI-4794 b
TOI-4961 b
TOI-5181 A b
TOI-5210 b
TOI-5322 b
TOI-5340 b
TOI-5386 A b
TOI-5592 b
TOI-5800 b
TOI-5882 b
BEBOP-3 b
Gliese 508.2 b
Gliese 9773 b
HD 135344 A b
KMT-2023-BLG-0119L b
KMT-2023-BLG-1896L b
KMT-2024-BLG-1209L b
MOA-2022-BLG-033L b
MOA-2022-BLG-091L b
Ross 176 b
TOI-1011 b
TOI-1346 b
TOI-1346 c
TOI-2719 b
TOI-4155 b
TOI-5795 b
TOI-5817 b
TOI-6000 b
TOI-7149 b
TOI-880 c
Gliese 536 c
HD 224018 b
HD 224018 c
HD 224018 d
HD 28471 b
HD 28471 c
HD 28471 d
K2-73 c
TOI-1438 b
TOI-1438 c
TOI-2141 c
TOI-2141 d
TOI-2322 b
TOI-2322 c
TOI-4773 b
TOI-5261 b
TOI-5350 b
TOI-6303 b
TOI-6330 b
TOI-6420 b
WISPIT 1 b
WISPIT 1 c
WISPIT 2 b
AU Mic e
HD 143811 AB b
NGTS-31 b
NGTS-32 b
TOI-1203 b
TOI-1203 c
TOI-1203 d
TOI-1203 e
TOI-1743 b
TOI-2449 b
TOI-5799 c
TOI-6109 b
TOI-6109 c
TOI-6223 b
Original post
12 Nov 2025Developer post
0.991.49.2090 Public Beta Update
Hey folks! Today's Beta update brings you the second (and tentatively final) wave of fixes that affect generation, meaning yes, the universe will be resetting once more ! Our focus is on fixing bugs introduced with 0.991, specifically , as well as addressing issues with generatio
Hey folks!
Today's Beta update brings you the second (and tentatively final) wave of fixes that affect generation, meaning yes, the universe will be resetting once more! Our focus is on fixing bugs introduced with 0.991, specifically, as well as addressing issues with generation that we can incorporate without overexpanding our scope, and miscellaneous/normal operations items, such as new exoplanets.
The goal from here is to clear 0.991 for Public branch release. We still have plenty of ideas for improvements down the line, though, both internally and based on your excellent suggestions!
Like with the previous mid-Beta update, the primary place for discussion is in the dedicated 0.991 channel on our Official Discord!
Changelog:
Fixed C-Hd stars having too low mass.
Fixed a bug where star age could exceed lifetime for systems with a stellar remnant.
Fixed a bug where binary planet orbits were often oriented on-edge, “cartwheeling” around their host stars.
Fixed a bug where SpaceEngine would crash if you changed the obliquity of a binary planet barycentre in the planet editor.
Fixed a bug where comets and asteroids were assigned temperature classes that were too hot, and moons were assigned temperature classes that were incorrect. Classes for all planets/moons/comets/asteroids are now based on their time-averaged distance from their host star(s).
Fixed a bug where every solo star (ie: not in a multiple star system) had the same axial tilt of 100.28 degrees.
Fixed a bug where changing the oblateness in the Planet Editor was not reflected in the Wiki.
Improved orbits so clipping between planets and stars is much less likely.
Fixed a bug where rings around dwarf moons were intersecting with their moon.
Fixed distance to Centaurus A*.
Fixed display of Quaoar’s name in the system browser.
Updated the exoplanet catalogs with 9 new host stars and 16 new planets.
Added new Featured Locations procured by the SE team.
Catalog Additions:
Host Stars:
HD 143811 A/HD 143811 AB/HIP 78663
KMT-2024-BLG-0404L
NGTS-31
NGTS-32
TOI-1203/HIP 54779
TOI-1743
TOI-2449
TOI-6109
TOI-6223
Planets:
AU Mic e
HD 143811 AB b
NGTS-31 b
NGTS-32 b
TOI-1203 b
TOI-1203 c
TOI-1203 d
TOI-1203 e
TOI-1743 b
TOI-2449 b
TOI-5799 c
TOI-6109 b
TOI-6109 c
TOI-6223 b
Brown Dwarf Candidates:
KMT-2024-BLG-0404L B
KMT-2024-BLG-0404L C
Original post
02 Oct 2025Developer post
0.991.49.2085 Public Beta Update
Hey folks! Thanks for all the bug reports and feedback with the 0.991 beta! We're tracking everything coming in and have a first wave of fixes for you for further testing. As we warned with the original beta drop, this update will once again cause a universe reset , and it may no
Hey folks!
Thanks for all the bug reports and feedback with the 0.991 beta! We're tracking everything coming in and have a first wave of fixes for you for further testing. As we warned with the original beta drop, this update will once again cause a universe reset, and it may not be the last, so don't get attached to locations until the public release!
Plenty of other fixes are still in the works, such as overly eccentric orbits and overly dense dwarf moons. We are prioritizing bugs that were introduced with 0.991, but the testing process has revealed (or reminded us of~) multiple pre-existing bugs that are also being logged for future fixes/updates. If you'd like to be a part of the conversation, our official Discord has a dedicated channel for 0.991 discussion!
Changelog:
Fixed a bug where catalog stars with no physical info aside from apparent magnitude would default to spectral type M2V
Fixed a bug where life was generated on planets with extremely thin atmospheres
Fixed quasars having too many globular clusters
Improved radius-luminosity relationship for elliptical galaxies (fixes density of globular clusters being too high)
Fixed artifacts caused by accretion disks being too thin
Enabled code intended for 0.991 relating to star system seed generation (previously blocked by typo)
Added “deselect” console/script command to deselect objects (in addition to existing “unselect” command)
Reclassified Quaoar as a dwarf planet and its moon as a dwarf moon
Fixed locations of some extragalactic stellar mass black holes to match their host galaxies
Added star UDF 2457 (most distant Milky Way star visible in Hubble Ultra Deep Field)
Updated the exoplanet catalogs with 12 new host stars and 23 new planets
Catalog Additions:
Gliese 536 c
HD 224018 b
HD 224018 c
HD 224018 d
HD 28471 b
HD 28471 c
HD 28471 d
K2-73 c
TOI-1438 b
TOI-1438 c
TOI-2141 c
TOI-2141 d
TOI-2322 b
TOI-2322 c
TOI-4773 b
TOI-5261 b
TOI-5350 b
TOI-6303 b
TOI-6330 b
TOI-6420 b
WISPIT 1 b
WISPIT 1 c
WISPIT 2 b
Original post
15 Sep 2025Developer post
0.991.49.2080 Public Beta
NOTICE: This Beta involves a Universe reset. Many of your saved locations from 0.990 will not work in this version. Use caution, and label your old locations! Hey folks! We're opening the gates on 0.991 with an extended Beta to ensure everything is working before release. We anti
NOTICE: This Beta involves a Universe reset. Many of your saved locations from 0.990 will not work in this version. Use caution, and label your old locations!
Hey folks!
We're opening the gates on 0.991 with an extended Beta to ensure everything is working before release. We anticipate the Beta to run for at least two weeks, during which we may push further updates and/or fixes, which will further affect generation. We will let you know if this happens.
The purpose of this Beta is to ensure the generation improvements are in their best form, and that none of the changes made have broken other aspects of SpaceEngine. Suspected bugs should be reported in the Troubleshooting and Bug Reports section of the Steam forums, or in our #bug-reports channel in our official Discord.
On the topic of bugs, there are a few known issues we're already aware of, but they are self-contained, so they won't hamper the beta launch:
Globular Clusters are sometimes too common in the most massive galaxies
Intermediary mass black holes and other high-density objects have strange artifacting when viewed at certain angles (described as "angry sparkles" or "occasional Pac-Man'ing")
Spatially thick accretion disks may not generate
Whether you want to help test or are eager to see what's new, you can opt in to the Beta by going to your Steam library, right-clicking SpaceEngine, then selecting Properties > Betas and picking beta - public beta branch from the dropdown menu.
Changelog:
Calibrated mass-radius distribution of terrestrial planets
Calibrated iron core mass distribution in terrestrial planets
Fixed giant-terra-giant-terra meander sequence in procedural planetary systems
Fixed a bug with incorrect procedural metallicity of stars
Fixed a bug with generation of double Wolf-Rayet systems, where the secondary star has hundreds of times larger luminosity than the whole system.
Fixed suppression of generation of procedural galaxies near the Milky Way
Fixed generation of dwarf planets
Improved generation of globular cluster luminosities
Increased the maximum number of clusters per galaxy
Improved the number of globular clusters generated in galaxies
Added ability to specify the number of globular clusters in a catalog galaxy (galaxy catalog keyword: GlobClusters)
Improved the effective temperatures of M5-M9 (main sequence), L, T, and Y spectral types
Improved the radii of L, T, and Y spectral types
Improved galaxy type generation probabilities
Improved shading of underwater surfaces to mimic absorption of sunlight by water
Improved temperature generation for star granules (convection cells)
Improved temperature generation for sunspots
Improved brightness of blurred interface background relative to main scene
Fixed a bug that caused lava to appear 10% hotter than it should
Fixed a bug where a star's age could be greater than its lifetime
Fixed a potential bug where the star generator thread can overrun its working array, corrupting data in the other worker thread's working array
Fixed a bug in calculation of stellar magnitudes
Fixed a bug in the climate model where some planets in systems with a binary star had a huge temperature spike
Fixed a bug with star corona color
Improved diversity of properties of procedural rings and accretion disks
Catalog Updates:
Added several of the brightest and largest known galaxies
Improved distances and magnitudes for numerous galaxies, especially in the Local Group
Tweaked brightness of a few Local Group elliptical galaxy models for greater realism
Added globular cluster population data for multiple galaxies
Removed unsupported/refuted black holes
Changed "_ Central Black Hole" names to "_*" to match astronomical naming conventions
Added LMC globular cluster NGC 1978
Added LMC open cluster NGC 2164
Improved distance and size of the Owl Nebula
Improved atmospheric composition for K2-18 b
Updated 2M1510 to be a triple system with the correct orbits
Updated physical parameters of the PSR J2222-0137 pulsar+WD system
Updated distance to SPECULOOS-3
Updated WOH G64 Star
Updated the exoplanet catalogs with 57 new host stars and 66 new planets, 1 new planemo
Catalog Additions:
Galaxies:
Abell 2261 BCG
ESO 383-76/Abell 3571 BCG
ESO 248-6/ACO 3112 BCG
ESO 409-25/ACO 2734 BCG
ACO 3039 BCG
ESO 347-9/ACO 3998 BCG
Exoplanets:
KOI-134 b
KOI-134 c
Kepler-725 c
L 98-59 f
TIC 88785435 b
TOI-1117 b
TOI-1117 c
TOI-1117 d
TOI-1238 b
TOI-1238 c
TOI-1846 b
TOI-2031 A b
TOI-2169 A b
TOI-2346 b
TOI-2382 b
TOI-2407 b
TOI-2876 b
TOI-2886 b
TOI-2986 b
TOI-2992 b
TOI-3135 b
TOI-3160 A b
TOI-3464 b
TOI-3474 b
TOI-3486 b
TOI-3523 A b
TOI-3593 b
TOI-3682 b
TOI-3856 b
TOI-3877 b
TOI-3980 b
TOI-4214 b
TOI-4465 b
TOI-4487 A b
TOI-4734 b
TOI-4794 b
TOI-4961 b
TOI-5181 A b
TOI-5210 b
TOI-5322 b
TOI-5340 b
TOI-5386 A b
TOI-5592 b
TOI-5800 b
TOI-5882 b
BEBOP-3 b
Gliese 508.2 b
Gliese 9773 b
HD 135344 A b
KMT-2023-BLG-0119L b
KMT-2023-BLG-1896L b
KMT-2024-BLG-1209L b
MOA-2022-BLG-033L b
MOA-2022-BLG-091L b
Ross 176 b
TOI-1011 b
TOI-1346 b
TOI-1346 c
TOI-2719 b
TOI-4155 b
TOI-5795 b
TOI-5817 b
TOI-6000 b
TOI-7149 b
TOI-880 c
Planemo:
OGLE-2015-BLG-1609L b
Brown dwarf candidate:
TOI-201 c
Original post
11 Sep 2025Developer post
Overview of the 0.991 Universe Generation Update
Authors: Dr. Megan, Sean, Jonathan, and Brendan Note: you can view the blog full blog post on our website for more images, interactive image comparisons, and more. Hey folks! In preparation for the public release of the Universe Generation Update, we’re highlighting some major ch
08 Sep 2025Developer post
0.991: The Universe Generation Update is Coming Soon!
Hey folks! We’re heads-down on improvements while we prepare our next major release, 0.991: The Universe Generation Update! The team has been hard at work behind the scenes on all things procedural, bringing you a slew of improvements and fixes that will re-map our procedural Uni
22 Jul 2025Developer post
Build 0.990.48.2075
Hey folks! Beta has come back stable, so your monthly dose of catalog additions is now on the public branch! This build includes a fix for brown dwarf properties being affected by your display mode (HDR and Auto/Manual exposure settings), and lines up the final line of text in th
Hey folks!
Beta has come back stable, so your monthly dose of catalog additions is now on the public branch!
This build includes a fix for brown dwarf properties being affected by your display mode (HDR and Auto/Manual exposure settings), and lines up the final line of text in the epilepsy warning. As a reminder, you can disable this warning from your main-user.cfg file by finding ShowSeizureWarning and setting it to false.
Changelog:
Updated asteroid, asteroid binary, and Kuiper Belt catalogs
Fixed a bug where brown dwarf luminosity and magnitudes changed with display mode for both isolated brown dwarfs and binary brown dwarfs (This bug still exists for systems that also include a star)
Fixed text alignment issue in seizure warning
Updated the exoplanet catalogs with 13 new host stars and 17 new planets (planets outlined below)
Catalog Additions:
HD 102888 b
HD 87816 b
HD 87816 c
HD 94890 b
HD 94890 c
KMT-2017-BLG-2197L b
KMT-2022-BLG-1790L b
KMT-2022-BLG-2076L b
KMT-2023-BLG-2209L b
TIC 434398831 b
TIC 434398831 c
TOI-2969 b
TOI-2989 b
TOI-5300 b
TOI-6695 b
TOI-6695 c
TOI-6894 b
Original post
15 Jul 2025Developer post
0.990.48.2075 Public Beta
Hey folks! Staying cool? Remember to take breaks and stay hydrated if you live in warmer areas! We have another Beta prepared to keep you inside with the usual helping of fixes and catalog updates. Like with all Betas, you'll need to opt in by going to your Steam library, right-c
Hey folks!
Staying cool? Remember to take breaks and stay hydrated if you live in warmer areas! We have another Beta prepared to keep you inside with the usual helping of fixes and catalog updates.
Like with all Betas, you'll need to opt in by going to your Steam library, right-clicking SpaceEngine, followed by Properties> Betas> and selecting the beta branch from the drop-down menu. Feedback and bug reports should be directed to the Official Discord and Steam forums.
Changelog:
Updated asteroid, asteroid binary, and Kuiper Belt catalogs
Fixed a bug where brown dwarf luminosity and magnitudes changed with display mode for both isolated brown dwarfs and binary brown dwarfs (This bug still exists for systems that also include a star)
Fixed text alignment issue in seizure warning
Updated the exoplanet catalogs with 13 new host stars and 17 new planets, outlined below
Catalog Additions:
HD 102888 b
HD 87816 b
HD 87816 c
HD 94890 b
HD 94890 c
KMT-2017-BLG-2197L b
KMT-2022-BLG-1790L b
KMT-2022-BLG-2076L b
KMT-2023-BLG-2209L b
TIC 434398831 b
TIC 434398831 c
TOI-2969 b
TOI-2989 b
TOI-5300 b
TOI-6695 b
TOI-6695 c
TOI-6894 b
Original post
23 Jun 2025Developer post
Build 0.990.48.2070
Hey folks! No new bug reports from the Beta branch, so we're pushing to public! This build brings your usual helping of catalog additions/fixes while work continues on larger future updates (when we have more to show, we will!) Some users reported a typo in the recently added exo
Hey folks!
No new bug reports from the Beta branch, so we're pushing to public! This build brings your usual helping of catalog additions/fixes while work continues on larger future updates (when we have more to show, we will!)
Some users reported a typo in the recently added exoplanet AT2021ueyL b, but that's actually its correct name!
From Dr. Megan: "AT" refers to an Astronomical Transient event, where the brightness of objects briefly changes. 2021 refers to the year of the event, and 'uey' is the identifier for which event during that year the planet was observed. Finally, 'L' refers to the discovery method of gravitational microlensing, where light coming from a distant star is warped by the gravity of an object in its orbit.
Changelog:
Improved position and properties of 61 Cyg and components
Fixed/expanded data for LP 994-20
Improved properties of Wolf 359 and removed the refuted exoplanet Wolf 359 c, eliminating all Borg presence from the system.
Updated the exoplanet catalogs with 21 new host stars and 28 new planets, outlined below
Catalog Additions:
AT2021ueyL b
HD 35843 b
HD 35843 c
K2-157 c
K2-157 d
KMT-2017-BLG-0849L b
KMT-2017-BLG-1057L b
KMT-2017-BLG-2331L b
Kepler-139 f
OGLE-2016-BLG-0007L b
OGLE-2017-BLG-0364L b
TOI-1803 b
TOI-1803 c
TOI-2005 b
TOI-2076 e
TOI-3493 b
TOI-5573 b
TOI-6324 b
TOI-6478 b
TOI-771 c
WASP-116 b
WASP-149 b
WASP-154 b
WASP-155 b
WASP-188 b
WASP-194 b
WASP-195 b
WASP-197 b
Original post
16 Jun 2025Developer post
0.990.48.2070 Public Beta
Hey folks! Any enthusiasts attending CASCA 2025 may have spotted some SE team members in attendance! A big thank you to all the interest in our humble space sim~ The team is back now with the next round of catalog updates for the Beta branch. As always, you can help test by right
Hey folks!
Any enthusiasts attending CASCA 2025 may have spotted some SE team members in attendance! A big thank you to all the interest in our humble space sim~
The team is back now with the next round of catalog updates for the Beta branch. As always, you can help test by right-clicking SpaceEngine in your Library, selecting Properties>Betas, and selecting the public beta branch. Problems and innacuracies can be reported in the Steam forums and our official Discord in their respective Bug Report areas.
(Thumbnail inspired by community member Jotap)
Changelog:
Improved position and properties of 61 Cyg and components
Fixed/expanded data for LP 994-20
Improved properties of Wolf 359 and removed the refuted exoplanet Wolf 359 c, eliminating all Borg presence from the system.
Updated the exoplanet catalogs with 21 new host stars and 28 new planets, outlined below
Catalog Additions:
AT2021ueyL b
HD 35843 b
HD 35843 c
K2-157 c
K2-157 d
KMT-2017-BLG-0849L b
KMT-2017-BLG-1057L b
KMT-2017-BLG-2331L b
Kepler-139 f
OGLE-2016-BLG-0007L b
OGLE-2017-BLG-0364L b
TOI-1803 b
TOI-1803 c
TOI-2005 b
TOI-2076 e
TOI-3493 b
TOI-5573 b
TOI-6324 b
TOI-6478 b
TOI-771 c
WASP-116 b
WASP-149 b
WASP-154 b
WASP-155 b
WASP-188 b
WASP-194 b
WASP-195 b
WASP-197 b
Original post

Updates & announcements

New Spacecraft Material Config Options:

New Catalog Addition: The First Exosatellite

Star Browser Gas Giant Fix

Changelog:

Catalog Additions:

Changelog:

Catalog Additions:

Changelog

Catalog Additions

Changelog

Catalog Additions

Video Encoding Changes:

File Path Changes:

Changelog:

Catalog Additions:

Changelog:

Portable Mode/Custom File Paths

File Path Changes:

Video Encoding Changes:

Changelog:

Catalog Additions:

Changelog:

Catalog Additions:

Changelog:

Catalog Additions:

Planetary Generation

Graphical Tweaks

Math Overhauls

Changelog:

Catalog Updates:

Catalog Additions:

Changelog:

Catalog Additions:

Changelog:

Catalog Additions:

Changelog:

Catalog Updates:

Catalog Additions:

Planetary System Architecture

Visual Improvements

Galactic Globular Cluster Systems

Brown Dwarf Effective Temperature and Radii

Changelog:

Catalog Additions:

Changelog:

Catalog Additions:

Changelog:

Catalog Additions:

Changelog:

Catalog Additions: