High-Level Project Summary
Our team has developed a mobile app and a web interface that lets its users study Cepheid Variables (stars that brighten and dim periodically) in a much more detailed way than before. After choosing a specific star, the user can observe the full figure of the star and all its information on light curves. The user can also choose to study the selected star in a more detailed way by using the hologram feature of the app.
Link to Final Project
Link to Project "Demo"
Detailed Project Description
We’ve developed a mobile app alongside a website that lets its users observe the stars of the Milky Way galaxy in detailed ways by offering an up-close view accompanied by individual information such as the light curves of each star for a specific time window.
The “Star Journal” app also offers the hologram feature, which lets its users view the selected star in 3D by using a small hologram projector. The information about each star can be found on both the website and the app.
Our team offers a solution to the challenge by creating a program that shows the miniscule, constant changes a star can go through without us even noticing. “Star Journal” is dedicated to anyone who wants to study astronomy in an innovative, comprehensive way.
Space Agency Data
We used all of the NASA resource library to familiarize ourselves with the challenge as much as possible and to help us create an idea of the key components in our project.
-Information on Cepheid Variables:
https://starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/StarChild/questions/cepheids.html
-American Association of Variable Star Observers (AAVSO)
https://www.aavso.org
-Programming language we used for the mobile app: React
-Platform we used to create the website: Wordpress
Hackathon Journey
For most of us in the group it was the first time participating in the NASA Space App Challenge. We approached our solution with no prior experience to creating mobile apps and the React programming language.
Even though we all worked on different parts, it was very satisfying to come to an end where all our puzzle pieces finally fit perfectly together. During this year’s NASA Space App Challenge we learned a lot about team work, time management and writing consistent code in just one weekend.
References
-Raw Data:
Light curves:
• Polaris
• Eta Aquilae
https://www.daviddarling.info/encyclopedia/E/Eta_Aquilae.html
• Zeta Geminorum
https://www.popastro.com/main_spa1/variablestar/reference/guides/guide-to-zeta-geminorum/
• Beta Doradus
https://images.app.goo.gl/LD1bo8oczLarZqZw7
• RT Aurigae
https://images.app.goo.gl/6uXdu3AA3hkzBi4x6
Demo hologram video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kCrmN8C5uH0&t=90s&ab_channel=Mitrostudios
Tags
#software, #andromeda, #cepheidvariables, #stars