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Is there a pretty "system view" web app out there?

I'd like to show graphic representations of star systems in the Spinward Marches. Perhaps there's a website that can visualize a star system's "lineup", so to speak.

That could be useful and beautiful at the same time.

Something like

or

 
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The beginnings of my code to do this. Small steps and all that, although this builds on a lot of infrastructure code I have already written for this particular retro platform.

Screen Shot 2022-07-01 at 9.54.13 AM.png
 
There is one I like, Astrosynthesis 3.0 from nbos. It is available via Drivethru. It works with Windows 7 thru 11. (I have had for quite a while).

It's primary function is to do 3D starmapping. It is PERFECT (IMHO) for 2300 as you can import the local 50ly map with varying the types of stars. You can visually draw the confusing (when viewed on a 2D piece of paper ) stutterwarp routes, It does allegiances with colors or add .jpg symbols (like flags, hmm)

For you, the composition of star systems (planets, belts, GG, etc.) can be placed via real astronomical data (i.e. distance, eccentricity). You can use the database to store the planetary and create custom columns from whatever game system. I have one for Traveller, 2300 and Space Opera. The standard columns have atmosphere composition (by element and %), Temps (in C or K) albedo, population, genearal environment (barren, marginal, habitable) .

Being 3D display, you can use the mouse to spin the star display or the planetary display to view from any distance or angle.

Finally, it has a scripting language, so you COULD program it to generate systems ala Traveller 5. (some wrote one for CT) or some other game system.

The bad parts:
YOU must supply the images for planets and stars, otherwise you use stock images it comes with. Or accept dots.
It came out 10+ years ago. the nbos website is still around so you can get goodies, but I don't know if it is still supported by the authors in any manner.
 
Now what I REALLY need are nice photorealistic images of Uranus, and whatever an Ice Giant should look like (white?). If I knew Gimp better I could just take an Uranus image and whitewash it or something.

And those stars. I'd be in good shape with:

Red dwarf
Red giant
Orange dwarf
Yellow dwarf
Yellow-white dwarf (F)
 
kilemall said:
What I really want is planets in their orbits and be able to roll them forwards and backwards in time to work out transit times, jump shadows etc.
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The program I speak of will do that. Pop in data in J2000 format. You have to do it manually and create the Jump shadow as an "object" with a specific orbit distance from your center object (and a different color) and there you go. If you want it done automatically, you have to write a script.
 
I used AstroSynthesis heavily in making Solis People of the Sun, it is great, though getting a little old, it would be nice to get something the same, except newer.
 
kilemall said:
What I really want is planets in their orbits and be able to roll them forwards and backwards in time to work out transit times, jump shadows etc.
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This is actually fabulously hard. Just dealing with the scales are hard.

I've done some work in this area, plotting orbits in a "zoomable" star system. Boy, is it big. Really big.

The 100D "universe" is much easier to navigate :).
 
I just like snapshot views - as mentioned the practicality of doing actual motion and all that is hard and, while pretty cool to look at, does not help actually play the game (I'd argue it actually makes it more difficult as now there are pretty things to look at and play with rather than actually playing the game. Why I don't have phones and things when I run games - here to play, not play on phones. Though there isa place where that could be useful and worth its own thread but trying not to derail this one!)

Jump shadows and all that for me are just plot points as needed. If I need to slow the group down, the jump shadow is there, otherwise not. Pretty much like most shows: the elevator always takes enough time to get what discussions need to get done, even if it was just going down 1 floor a complete heart to heart can happen.

And having said that: for my own use, I'd love to use something like that but it would not ever get used at a table. More for my own enjoyment as I do tend to spend way too much time prepping for things. But that is for my personal enjoyment as much as the game so I'm good with that.
 
robject said:
Now what I REALLY need are nice photorealistic images of Uranus, and whatever an Ice Giant should look like (white?). If I knew Gimp better I could just take an Uranus image and whitewash it or something.

And those stars. I'd be in good shape with:

Red dwarf
Red giant
Orange dwarf
Yellow dwarf
Yellow-white dwarf (F)
Click to expand...
Just saying that you can get pretty awesome shots of beautifully generated planets and stars - as well as long-duration animations - in Elite Dangerous. Just fly around to what you like, use the external camera and voila you have some amazing source material.
 
robject said:
Now what I REALLY need are nice photorealistic images of Uranus, and whatever an Ice Giant should look like (white?). If I knew Gimp better I could just take an Uranus image and whitewash it or something.
Click to expand...

Ice Giants typically contain a fair amount of methane which absorbs red wavelengths. Uranus is a pea-green color, and Neptune is a deep blue.

en.wikipedia.org

Uranus - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org
en.wikipedia.org

Neptune - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org

Do not get confused by the term "Ice". This is astronomer trade talk. An "Ice" to an astronomer is any lightweight volatile compound, such as water, methane, ammonia, nitrogen, etc, regardless of temperature or pressure or phase considerations. The "Ices" of Uranus and Neptune at its "surface" where the gaseous atmosphere liquefies are at 2300 kelvins.

This is similar to how astronomers use the term "metals" in their trade-talk (as in a star's "metallicity"): To an astronomer, a "metal" is anything that is not Hydrogen or Helium. Anything heavier than Helium is a metal. Most elements heavier than Helium are in fact metals (but not all of course). But an astronomer does not care. It is a catch-all term for heavier elements.

robject said:
And those stars. I'd be in good shape with:

Red dwarf
Red giant
Orange dwarf
Yellow dwarf
Yellow-white dwarf (F)
Click to expand...

You would probably want to use the stars' "colors" from the vantage point of space-observation, not as they look filtered thru Earth's atmosphere. The elements, compounds, and "dust/substances" in any layer of any planet's atmosphere might alter the perceived color of wavelengths that reach the surface of any world.

To begin with, any star is going to look blindingly white to the human eye due to saturation. But if you lessen the intensity:
  • "Red" (M) stars are more of a "light pinkish-orange",
  • "Orange" stars (K) are more of a light/pale orange,
  • "Yellow" stars (G) are a white to yellow-white color, and
  • "Yellow-white" stars (F) are white approaching faintly blue-white at the extreme end.
 
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