AstroPlanner

AstroPlanner is an astrophotography planning tool that helps photographers determine optimal shooting times for celestial objects.

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Inspiration

As an amateur photographer and space enthusiast, I love taking pictures of the night sky! However, it's hard to anticipate what I will need based on where I'm trying to shoot from and the expected conditions.

What it does

AstroPlanner helps photographers plan their astro-photography session based on their geographic location. It provides visibility conditions and equipment recommendations based on location, expected conditions, and the type of object you are looking to shoot!

How we built it

I am submitting AstroPlanner for the "one shot" competition. I built it by first outlining all the conditions which have disrupted my astro-photography sessions in the past. I then compared that to data from forums and photography communities. I then created a design system, stressing high-contrast and a permanent dark mode since this will probably be accessed at night and outdoors.

Challenges we ran into

Validating the idea was the biggest challenge. It took a lot of research and understanding photography needs specific to astro-photography!

Accomplishments that we're proud of

I'm especially proud of the "camera settings" section. This was guided by AI as well, and I feel like it adds tremendous value when planning what gear to take with you on a shoot!

What we learned

Writing a detailed spec and being very explicit about design guidelines is key to a one-prompt application! In the future, I would be more explicit about what NOT to include as the platform auto-inferred some requirements even though they weren't defined.

What's next for AstroPlanner

I would love to make AstroPlanner available for the broader photography community! I plan to fix a few known bugs, allow for account creation (so you can save plans), and add a scheduler function so you can plan several shoots in a row!

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