Okay, let me tell you about this project I’ve been messing with, called “Constellation Wharf”. It all started when I got this idea to map out the night sky. Not just any map, but one that was interactive and, I don’t know, kinda magical.
First thing I did was gather a bunch of star charts. I mean, a whole lot. I spent hours online, digging through old books, anything I could get my hands on. I wanted a really solid foundation, you know? Then, I started sketching out what I wanted this thing to look like. I pictured a big, sprawling wharf, with each constellation being a different dock or platform. Seemed kinda cool in my head.
Getting My Hands Dirty
Next, it was time to get coding. I decided to use this new Javascript library, seemed like the right tool. And let me tell you, I dove right in. I started building the basic structure of the wharf, just a simple layout, nothing fancy. Then, I began plotting the constellations, one by one.
This was the real grind. I had to figure out how to translate those 2D star charts into something that felt three-dimensional, that felt like you could actually walk around on this digital wharf and look up at the stars. I played around with perspective, with lighting, even added some little animated boats bobbing in the water to make it feel alive.
Little Victories
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The first time I got a constellation to display correctly, I almost jumped out of my chair. It was just a few dots connected by lines, but it was my constellation, on my wharf.
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Then I managed to make the stars twinkle. Sounds simple, but it took me a while to get the timing right. Too fast and it looked like a disco, too slow and you wouldn’t even notice it.
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The biggest win was when I figured out how to let people “click” on a constellation and get some basic info about it. I’m no astronomer, but I scraped together some facts from the internet.
Still a Work in Progress
It’s not perfect, not by a long shot. There are still some glitches, some constellations that don’t look quite right. And I keep thinking of new things I want to add. Maybe a feature where you can see how the sky looked on a specific date, or maybe even add some mythology about the constellations. The list of things to do is a mile long.
But you know what? It’s mine. I built it from the ground up. And every time I look at it, I feel a little sense of pride. It’s like I’ve created my own little corner of the universe. This whole thing has been quite the journey, and I learned a ton along the way. I’ve pushed myself to do things I never thought I could. I can’t wait to see where this project goes next.
