If you're nuts about space like I am then you might be interested in Celestia which was started in 2001.
Per it's own description: " Celestia — real-time 3D visualization of space
The free space simulation that lets you explore our universe in three dimensions."
Ha, yes, I used to install that on my desktop computer. It's very cool and fascinating (even addictive)
And since you're nuts about space and therefore presumably astronomy, have you ever tried stellarium ? A pretty advanced planetarium with lots of display options . I know you'll absolutely love it. It is a breeze to use, and very usable as a real-time starmap.
It is in the standard repository so just an apt-get away