https://github.com/imigueldiaz/astro-shoots-messierism
https://github.com/imigueldiaz/astro-shoots-messierism
Last synced: 4 months ago
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- Host: GitHub
- URL: https://github.com/imigueldiaz/astro-shoots-messierism
- Owner: imigueldiaz
- License: mit
- Created: 2024-04-25T06:04:07.000Z (over 1 year ago)
- Default Branch: main
- Last Pushed: 2024-07-16T07:49:13.000Z (over 1 year ago)
- Last Synced: 2025-01-28T12:19:28.535Z (9 months ago)
- Language: Python
- Size: 21.5 KB
- Stars: 0
- Watchers: 1
- Forks: 0
- Open Issues: 0
-
Metadata Files:
- Readme: README.md
- License: LICENSE
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README
# Messierism
Messierism is a Python script that calculates the visible Messier objects in the night sky for a given location and date. It uses the `astropy` and `pyongc` libraries to perform astronomical calculations and retrieve data from the Messier catalog.
## Features
- Calculates the start of the astronomical night based on the sun's position
- Determines the visible Messier objects above a specified minimum altitude
- Displays the results in a formatted table using the `rich` library
- Allows customization of location, date, and minimum altitude through command-line arguments
## Requirements
- Python 3.x
- `astropy` library
- `pyongc` library
- `rich` library
## Installation
1. Clone the repository:
```bash
git clone https://github.com/your-username/messierism.git
```
2. Navigate to the project directory:
```bash
cd messierism
```
3. Create a virtual environment:
- For Windows PowerShell:
```powershell
python -m venv venv
```
- For Linux:
```bash
python3 -m venv venv
```
4. Activate the virtual environment:
- For Windows PowerShell:
```powershell
.\venv\Scripts\Activate.ps1
```
- For Linux:
```bash
source venv/bin/activate
```
5. Install the required libraries:
```bash
pip install -r requirements.txt
```
## Usage
To run the script, use the following command:
```bash
python messierism.py [--lat LATITUDE] [--lon LONGITUDE] [--alt ALTITUDE] [--date DATE] [--angle ANGLE]
```
- `--lat LATITUDE`: Latitude of the location in degrees (default: 40.4168, latitude of Madrid, Spain)
- `--lon LONGITUDE`: Longitude of the location in degrees (default: -3.7038, longitude of Madrid, Spain)
- `--alt ALTITUDE`: Altitude of the location in meters (default: 0)
- `--date DATE`: Date in YYYYMMDD format (default: current date)
- `--angle ANGLE`: Minimum angle above the horizon in degrees (default: 10)
Example:
````bash
python messierism.py --lat 40.4168 --lon -3.7038 --date 20230415 --angle 20
````
## Output
The script will display a formatted table showing the visible Messier objects for the specified location and date. The table includes the following columns:
- Messier: Messier catalog number
- Notation: Common notation for the object
- Name: Name of the object
- RA (J2000): Right Ascension in J2000 epoch
- Dec (J2000): Declination in J2000 epoch
- Azimuth (°): Azimuth angle in degrees
- Altitude (°): Altitude angle in degrees
- Size major (arcmin): Major axis size in arcminutes
- Size minor (arcmin): Minor axis size in arcminutes
- PA: Position angle
## Contributing
Contributions are welcome! If you find any issues or have suggestions for improvements, please open an issue or submit a pull request.
## License
This project is licensed under the [MIT License](LICENSE).