Exploring Planetary Visibility: Apps and a Creative Hack with Stellarium

Have you ever wondered which planets are currently visible from your location, regardless of the time of day?

Popular Apps for Real-Time Planetary Visibility

There are numerous apps available both online and for various devices that can provide real-time information about the visibility and location of planets from your current location. Some of the most commonly used apps include:

Stellarium Sky View Sky Safari

While these apps are effective, I highly recommend Stellarium. It is user-friendly and incredibly accurate, making it a favorite among both beginners and experienced observers. Additionally, some of these apps offer Augmented Reality (AR) features, which can be incredibly exciting for both educational and observational purposes.

Augmenting Your View: Stellarium's Augmented Reality Functionality

One of the standout features of Stellarium is its AR mode. This mode allows you to point your phone's camera at the sky and see real-time information about the celestial bodies visible in your location. This is an excellent tool for those who want to enhance their observational experience without needing to be connected to the internet or a computer.

Packaging Your Garden as a Terrain in Stellarium

A lesser-known but incredibly creative feature of Stellarium is the ability to hack your garden into the application, turning it into a virtual terrain. This feature is accessible on both PC and Mac, making it a versatile tool for those looking to explore the stars among their favorite outdoor spaces.

Creating a Customized Terrain

Shoot a 360° Full Panoramic Image: Use the Google Street View app (discontinued) to capture a panoramic image of your garden. Alternatively, you can use a 360° camera or any other tool that can achieve this. Ensure you capture the entire garden from all angles and viewpoints. Adjust the Direction in Photoshop: If you are not using Google Street View, you might need to manually adjust the direction of the panoramic image. Use Photoshop or another photo editing software to align the panoramic photo correctly. Align the Northern Direction: Locate the north in the photo and adjust the panoramic image to match the north direction as seen in Stellarium. This ensures that the virtual terrain is correctly oriented. Remove the Sky: Since Stellarium can simulate the sky, you do not need to include the sky in your panoramic image. Remove the sky portion of the image and save it as a transparent PNG file. Edit Configuration Files: Duplicate a folder of an Earthly location and edit the configuration files to include your garden's details. Here is an example of how to do this:

Example Code for Customizing Terrain in Stellarium

After duplicating an Earthly location’s folder, you can proceed to edit the configuration files to customize your garden. Here is an example of how to do this:

[landscape]
name  My Garden
author  my name
description  whatever
type  spherical
maptex  
[location]
planet  Earth
latitude  12d3445
longitude  12d3445
altitude  100
timezone  Europe/Berlin

By following these steps, you can turn your garden into a virtual terrain within Stellarium, making it a unique and immersive experience. This feature is particularly useful for those who enjoy stargazing from their own backyards and want to integrate their local environment with the vast cosmos.

Conclusion

Whether you are a casual observer or a seasoned astronomer, there are many tools available to explore planetary visibility and get lost in the wonders of the universe. Stellarium stands out not only for its accuracy but also for its innovative features like integrated augmented reality and the ability to hack your garden into the application. Exploring the night sky has never been more accessible or engaging.