Astro Tools Command Centre
Plan your next Scottish sky session with the latest on meteor showers, rise & set windows, constellation overlays, and live weather-aware sky cams. Everything you need before you pack the flask.
Join the CollectivePlate solve your gallery images
Run a solve and pull coordinates, FOV, and rotation for your captures.
1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.