Star Coordinates

Get the AltAz coordinates for a given object using astropy and output on a OLED screen.

As a very very newcomer to the astronomy scene and living in a area with a bit higher light pollution I find it's necessary to get the AltAz coordinates for an object to help me find it.

My understanding is the the Alt is a degree point ona 360 degree circle where 0 is True North. and Az is a degree of elevation or tilt the telescope has within a range of -90 to 90 degrees. Where as other from 0 to 90 is visible, although based on my elevation anything from 30 to 90 is more likely.

Dependencies

luma.oled

Usage

python3 server.py

To use the server once it is running you will need to make an HTTP request.

http://10.0.0.1:8080?messier=M41

The IP address of course is whatever that of your Raspberry Pi is and the parameter "messier=XXX" is a object from the Messier Catalog.

If you are an Apple user you can use this Apple Shortcut I made to interact with the server while star gazing. Siri will even react via voice input over your Apple Watch or by asking "Hey Siri"

To Do

Incorporate other objects than just those of the Messier Catalog, such as the planets.

Hardware