remote-capable server

The server can be hosted and run remotely because it primarily relies on remote services or has no dependency on the local environment.

Integrations

Utilizes NumPy for numerical calculations involved in celestial positioning and astronomical computations.
Implements testing framework for validating celestial calculations and time/location utilities.

mcp-stargazing

Calculate the altitude, rise, and set times of celestial objects (Sun, Moon, planets, stars, and deep-space objects) for any location on Earth, with optional light pollution analysis.

Features

Altitude/Azimuth Calculation: Get elevation and compass direction for any celestial object.
Rise/Set Times: Determine when objects appear/disappear above the horizon.
Light Pollution Analysis: Load and analyze light pollution maps (GeoTIFF format).
Supports:
- Solar system objects (Sun, Moon, planets)
- Stars (e.g., "sirius")
- Deep-space objects (e.g., "andromeda", "orion_nebula")
Time Zone Aware: Works with local or UTC times.

Installation

pip install astropy pytz numpy astroquery rasterio geopy

Usage

Calculate Altitude/Azimuth

from src.celestial import celestial_pos
from astropy.coordinates import EarthLocation
import pytz
from datetime import datetime

# Observer location (New York)
location = EarthLocation(lat=40.7128, lon=-74.0060)

# Time (local timezone-aware)
local_time = pytz.timezone("America/New_York").localize(datetime(2023, 10, 1, 12, 0))
altitude, azimuth = celestial_pos("sun", location, local_time)
print(f"Sun Position: Altitude={altitude:.1f}°, Azimuth={azimuth:.1f}°")

Calculate Rise/Set Times

from src.celestial import celestial_rise_set

rise, set_ = celestial_rise_set("andromeda", location, local_time.date())
print(f"Andromeda: Rise={rise.iso}, Set={set_.iso}")

Load Light Pollution Map

from src.light_pollution import load_map

# Load a GeoTIFF light pollution map
vriis_data, bounds, crs, transform = load_map("path/to/map.tif")
print(f"Map Bounds: {bounds}")

API Reference

`celestial_pos(celestial_object, observer_location, time)` (`src/celestial.py`)

Inputs:
- celestial_object: Name (e.g., "sun", "andromeda").
- observer_location: EarthLocation object.
- time: datetime (timezone-aware) or Astropy Time.
Returns: (altitude_degrees, azimuth_degrees).

`celestial_rise_set(celestial_object, observer_location, date, horizon=0.0)` (`src/celestial.py`)

Inputs:
- date: Timezone-aware datetime.
- horizon: Horizon elevation (default: 0°).
Returns: (rise_time, set_time) as UTC Time objects.

`load_map(map_path)` (`src/light_pollution.py`)

Inputs:
- map_path: Path to GeoTIFF file.
Returns: Tuple (vriis_data, bounds, crs, transform) for light pollution analysis.

Testing

Run tests with:

pytest tests/

Key Test Cases (`tests/test_celestial.py`)

def test_calculate_altitude_deepspace():
    """Test deep-space object resolution."""
    altitude, _ = celestial_pos("andromeda", NYC, Time.now())
    assert -90 <= altitude <= 90

def test_calculate_rise_set_sun():
    """Validate Sun rise/set times."""
    rise, set_ = celestial_rise_set("sun", NYC, datetime(2023, 10, 1))
    assert rise < set_

Project Structure

.
├── src/
│   ├── celestial.py          # Core celestial calculations
│   ├── light_pollution.py    # Light pollution map utilities
│   ├── utils.py              # Time/location helpers
│   └── main.py               # CLI entry point
├── tests/
│   ├── test_celestial.py
│   └── test_utils.py
└── README.md

Future Work

Add support for comets/asteroids.
Optimize SIMBAD queries for offline use.
Integrate light pollution data into visibility predictions.

Key Updates:

Light Pollution: Added light_pollution.py to features and API reference.
Dependencies: Added rasterio and geopy to installation instructions.
Project Structure: Clarified file roles and test coverage.

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security - not tested

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license - permissive license

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quality - not tested

Calculate the altitude, rise, and set times of celestial objects (Sun, Moon, planets, stars, and deep-space objects) for any location on Earth.