Navigating the Night Sky
This application is an information navigation system that helps users learn more about the constellations visible in their geographical hemisphere, and at what times of the year each constellation is best seen. This system is geared more towards locating constellations based off the mathematics and science behind them.
Research and benchmarking was done to see what kind of specific things someone would need to know in order to identify constellations in the sky. Information and data was collected on latitudes, declinations, ascensions, family of constellations, best time to view, etc for different constellations and stars. All official 88 constellations are included in the system and organized on the calendar depending on the month they are best visible in and in relationship to their neighboring constellations and stars.
A series of three tasks were picked to be shown and best depict the overall interface with this application.
◦ In the northern hemisphere, “Draco” is a circumpolar constellation, meaning it is visible all year. The star found in the head of the dragon, Rastaban, is also known as what?
◦ Andromeda is best visible in the northern sky during the month of November, find its brightest star.
◦ How many constellations are best seen in the month of October in the southern hemisphere?
The final design utilizes a sidebar navigation that highlights the category the user is selecting from and they can select from what is there or click on the down arrow to see more options. The user still has option to select the calendar itself to make a selection, and also rotate the calendar itself when it has been moved to the side. The navigating follows the same visual identity as the constellations themselves through the usage of circles and lines. Color is used to help user know what their options are, what they are currently viewing or have selected to focus in on.
All 88 constellations are included and displayed on the calendar. The image that was
in the calendar has been expanded to the full background. The user selects a hemishpere,
then a specific month or season (entire year is also an option), then select a specific constellation from that month. Once a constellation is selected, user can select a specific star.
View a clickthrough of the application following the three selected tasks here
A full process book of the project is viewable here
