🌌 Star Constellation Mapper

Identify and visualize star constellations from celestial coordinates using angular distance calculations and graph pattern matching.

Features

• Real star data from Hipparcos catalog (RA, Dec, magnitude)
• Angular distance calculations using spherical trigonometry
• Constellation pattern matching via graph-based edge comparison
• ASCII sky maps with stick-figure constellation lines
• Scale-invariant identification (works regardless of projection)

Quick Start

python constellations.py

How It Works

1. Stars are stored with RA (right ascension) and Dec (declination) coordinates
2. Angular distances computed using the spherical law of cosines
3. Constellation patterns defined as graph edges between named stars
4. Unknown star sets matched against known patterns with tolerance

Included Constellations

• Orion — 8 stars (Betelgeuse, Rigel, Belt)
• Ursa Major — 7 stars (Big Dipper)
• Cassiopeia — 5 stars (W-pattern)

License

MIT