Plan smarter. Image better.
Plate-solve your captures, check rise and set windows, scan meteor activity, and build a practical plan before you drag the rig outside.
1. Live Sky Map
Interactive horizon map for Scottish observing sites, with bright stars, constellation lines, and deep-sky targets plotted live by altitude and azimuth.
Find what is above the horizon now
Change site, scrub time, click targets, and get practical pointing numbers before setting up the rig.
Open the sky mapPlate solve your gallery images
Run a solve and pull coordinates, FOV, and rotation for your captures.
2. Meteor Shower Tracker
Auto-refreshing schedule with radiant geometry, ZHR forecasts, and moonlight-adjusted viewing windows for Glasgow and beyond.
Tonight’s Odds
68% chance of worthwhile meteors after midnight.
Moon: Waxing gibbous · 58% · Conditions: Patchy high cloud over central belt
Head north of Perth after midnight for the clearest slot.
Live feed planned via IMO + Met Office composite| Shower | Peak | Radiant | Expected ZHR | Best Viewing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orionids | 21 Oct | RA 06h20m · Dec +16° | 25/hr | 02:00–05:00 BST |
| Leonids | 17 Nov | RA 10h05m · Dec +22° | 15/hr | 03:30–05:30 GMT |
| Geminids | 14 Dec | RA 07h30m · Dec +33° | 120/hr | 22:00–06:00 GMT |
Integration roadmap: Pull primary data from the International Meteor Organization calendar, backstop with NASA shower atlas. Blend with Open-Meteo cloud cover + Met Office visibility and USNO moon phase API for the odds engine.
3. Lunar & Planet Rise/Set Times
Quick-glance timetable optimised for mobile. Perfect when you’re juggling eyepieces in the dark and need to know when Jupiter clears the chimney.
| Body | Rise | Set | Visibility | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Moon | 19:12 | 07:03 | Good until 01:30 | 58% |
| Jupiter | 18:04 | 07:24 | Best at 00:15, 48° | — |
| Saturn | 15:22 | 03:55 | South at dusk, 22° | — |
| Mars | 04:48 | 14:26 | Too close to Sun | — |
Integration roadmap: Use JPL Horizons or NASA JSC SPICE via an intermediate service, cache ephemerides nightly. Expose a condensed API endpoint for the mobile UI, and show alerts when bodies remain below 15° altitude.
4. Is It Worth Going Out?
Get a straight-talking, Scottish-flavoured forecast verdict. No faffing about — just a quick answer to whether you should bother hauling your gear outside.
Should you brave the elements tonight?
Get a humorous, no-nonsense forecast summary with proper Scottish commentary.
Check the skies5. Astro Calendar
Month-at-a-glance planner with moon phases, eclipses, meteor peaks, and standout conjunctions. Tap a date for Scottish-centric observing tips.
Upcoming Highlights
-
05 Nov — New Moon
Ideal dark skies for deep sky imaging. -
17 Nov — Leonid Meteor Peak
Fast meteors with persistent trains. -
25 Nov — Jupiter & Moon Conjunction
0.9° separation around 20:10 GMT. -
14 Dec — Geminid Maximum
Year’s best shower, bright fireballs.
Integration roadmap: Sync NASA/JPL event feeds, USNO moon phase tables, and ICS export. Allow members to opt-in reminders via email or push once we hook in real-time weather risk from Scottish Met Office endpoints.
6. Cloud Radar & Live Sky Cams
Before you brave the midges, check live all-sky cameras and regional cloud radar overlays.
| Feed | Location | Status | Action |
|---|---|---|---|
| St Andrews All-Sky | Fife | Live · Mostly clear | Open feed |
| Aberdeen Science Centre | Aberdeen | Live · High cloud | Open feed |
| Galloway Forest Pi Cam | Dumfries & Galloway | Offline · Maintenance | Open feed |
Integration roadmap: Layer Met Office rainfall radar tiles over Mapbox, embed public all-sky cam MJPEG streams, and add hooks for member-submitted Raspberry Pi feeds with rate-limited proxying.