Skip to main content

starward v0.2.0: Steady Tracking

· 2 min read
Oddur Sigurdsson
Oddur Sigurdsson
Creator of astr0

Version 0.2.0 "Steady Tracking" brings the Sun and Moon into starward, along with comprehensive observation planning tools. This release transforms starward from a coordinate toolkit into a complete observation planning assistant.

New Modules​

Sun Module​

Calculate everything you need to know about our nearest star:

  • Position: Right ascension, declination, altitude, azimuth
  • Rise/Set Times: Accurate to the minute for any location
  • Twilight: Civil, nautical, and astronomical twilight times
  • Equation of Time: The difference between solar and clock time
starward sun position --observer "New York"
starward sun rise --observer "Tokyo"
starward sun twilight --type astronomical

Moon Module​

Track Earth's companion through its phases:

  • Phase: Current phase name and illumination percentage
  • Position: Where to find the Moon in the sky
  • Rise/Set: When the Moon appears and disappears
  • Next Phase: When to expect the next full or new moon
starward moon phase --verbose
starward moon rise --observer "London"

Observer Module​

Save and manage your observing locations:

starward observer add "Home" --lat 40.7128 --lon -74.0060 --tz "America/New_York"
starward observer list
starward observer use "Home"

Locations are stored in a simple TOML file and persist between sessions.

Visibility Module​

Plan your observations with precision:

  • Airmass: Calculate atmospheric extinction at any altitude
  • Transit Time: When objects cross the meridian
  • Rise/Set: General rise/set calculations for any celestial object
  • Moon Separation: Avoid lunar interference
starward visibility airmass --alt 45
starward visibility transit "Vega" --observer "Home"

LaTeX Output​

For academic use, starward now supports LaTeX-formatted output:

starward sun position --format latex

Quality Milestone​

This release includes over 500 tests validated against authoritative sources:

  • US Naval Observatory calculations
  • JPL Horizons ephemeris data
  • IAU SOFA library results
  • Jean Meeus's Astronomical Algorithms

Getting Started​

pip install starward

What's Next​

v0.3.0 will extend starward to the planets — Mercury through Neptune. Position calculations, magnitude, elongation, and opposition timing are all on the roadmap.