starplot

Starplot

Starplot is a Python library for creating star charts and maps of the sky.

• ⭐ Zenith Plots - shows the entire sky at a specific time and place
• 🗺️ Map Plots - including many map projections
• 🌃 Horizon Plots - shows the horizon at a specific time and place
• 🔭 Optic Plots - shows what you'll see through an optic (e.g. telescope) at a specific time and place
• 🪐 Planets and Deep Sky Objects (DSOs) - more than 14,000 objects built-in
• 🎨 Custom Styles - for all objects
• 📥 Export - png, svg, jpeg
• 🚀 Data Backend - powered by DuckDB + Ibis for fast object lookup
• 🧭 Label Collision Avoidance

Examples

Zenith plot of the stars from a specific time/location:

Map around the constellation Orion:

The Pleiades star cluster, as seen through a refractor telescope from a specific time and location:

Basic Usage

To create a star chart for tonight's sky as seen from Palomar Mountain in California:

from datetime import datetime
from pytz import timezone
import starplot as sp

tz = timezone("America/Los_Angeles")

p = sp.MapPlot(
    projection=sp.Projection.ZENITH,
    lat=33.363484,
    lon=-116.836394,
    dt=datetime.now(tz).replace(hour=22),
    style=sp.styles.PlotStyle().extend(
        sp.styles.extensions.BLUE_MEDIUM,
    ),
    resolution=4096,
    autoscale=True,
)
p.constellations()
p.stars(where=[_.magnitude < 4.6])
p.constellation_labels()
p.export("starchart.png")

Documentation

https://starplot.dev

Demo

For a demo of Starplot's zenith plots, check out:

Sky Atlas - Star Chart Creator

Discord

Chat with other starplotters on our Discord server:

https://discord.gg/WewJJjshFu

Contributing

Contributing to Starplot is welcome and very much appreciated! Please see here for details.

Coming Soon

• 🧮 Coordinate system helpers
• 🌑 Planet moons
• ✴️ Custom markers
• ☄️ Comet model
• 😄 🔭 Clear skies

See more details on the Public Roadmap

License

MIT License