Why I built this
The world is moving fast - people are talking about Mars like it's somewhere we might actually go. I wanted a quiet place to look at the worlds we already know, learn what's strange and beautiful about each one, and see how much real science has already been done. Not a textbook. Not a game. Just a real solar system, presented honestly.
Built with high school readers in mind but designed for anyone who looks up at the night sky and wants to know more.
The designer
I'm Ramya Sandadi, a UX designer who works on visualizing scientific data so non-specialists can understand it. I worked at Earth and Space Research before this.
Live data
- astronomy-engine · Browser-side library implementing JPL-DE441-grade planetary ephemerides and lunar theory. Powers the live planet-to-Earth distances in the ticker and the moon-phase calculator.
- CelesTrak · NORAD Two-Line Element (TLE) feeds for satellite tracking. Used live for ISS and Tiangong positions.
- satellite.js · Open-source JavaScript SGP4 orbital propagator applied to the CelesTrak TLEs.
Orbital & physical data
- NASA JPL Solar System Dynamics · J2000 orbital elements used to position the planets in the 3D scene.
- NASA Planetary Fact Sheets · Physical parameters of the planets, Sun, and Moon (mass, radius, gravity, day length, axial tilt, moon counts).
- IAU (International Astronomical Union) · Planet classification (2006 definition) and standard astronomical constants.
- CODATA · Fundamental physical constants (speed of light, gravitational constant, Hubble constant, etc.) shown in the Almanac's Constants tab.
Sky events & catalogs
- NASA Eclipse Web Site · Solar and lunar eclipse dates and paths (Fred Espenak's catalogs).
- International Meteor Organization (IMO) · Annual meteor shower calendar (peaks, parent bodies, expected rates).
- NASA Exoplanet Archive · Confirmed exoplanet data and the field's milestone detections.
- Historical supernovae · SN 185, SN 1054 (Crab), SN 1572 (Tycho), SN 1604 (Kepler), SN 1987A - compiled from peer-reviewed astronomy literature and NASA records.
Mission histories
Per-body mission citations appear inside each Visit logbook's Sources tab. For each of Earth, the Sun, the Moon, the planets, and major moons, you'll find the specific NASA, ESA, and JAXA mission documents the content draws from - with direct links to NASA's mission pages, science.nasa.gov, ESA, JAXA, JHU APL, and NOAA.
Cultural astronomy (constellations)
The constellation stories in the Almanac were assembled from general cultural-astronomy knowledge. Recommended primary-source reading: Anthony Aveni (Skywatchers of Ancient Mexico), E. C. Krupp (Echoes of the Ancient Skies), Ray Norris (Aboriginal Australian astronomy), and Steven J. Dick on Western historical astronomy.
Imagery
All planetary, mission, and Earth imagery is public-domain from NASA, ESA, JAXA, and NOAA archives.
Rendering & engineering
- Three.js · WebGL renderer powering the 3D scene.
- Google Fonts · Instrument Serif, Manrope, Space Grotesk, Space Mono.
- Code · written with AI assistance (Claude · Anthropic). Concept, design, information architecture, visual direction, and content curation by Ramya Sandadi.