APOD STARDATE is my interpretation of a webapp featuring minimal Star Trek LCARS UI, displaying astronomical image/text content from the NASA APOD website (Astronomy Picture of the Day). It includes voice narration, audio visualizer, and sound effects. The UI is interactive and responsive for various screen resolutions. Given the stunning visuals of many APOD images, this webapp is optimally developed for a desktop experience.
APOD Stardate screenshotsAPOD STARDATE offers several visual effects to enhance the LCARS display. Most of these features are deactivated by default. A set of keyboard shortcuts are included for faster interaction with the content & UI interface. Additionally, some URL parameters are available for customizing the initial startup configuration. See this User Manual ⬇️ below for further details.
interface infographic / user manualKEYBOARD SHORTCUTS
- space bar pause/play audio narration
- N request next random APOD entry
- P load up previously displayed APOD entry
- F fullscreen mode
- M master mute switch
- L change size of the small LCARS window
- H hide the small LCARS window
- W swap content between small window & main
- K nav-bracket display effect
- S change APOD image resizing style
- V toggle all visual effects at once
- J J toggle JWST Mode
- 0 0 0 … 0 2 4 requesting predefined APOD entry
If you’re in the mood for a “busier” LCARS look and feel, I’ve also integrated APOD STARDATE as a module into my other project, Titan.DS. I will write a log entry about it shortly.
* Images & text content used on APOD STARDATE are obtained via NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD) API. The content is the property of NASA and is used with permission. Entries with videos or copyrighted images have been excluded from this webapp.
The dot-matrix 3d animation in this webapp was inspired by Data’s positronic brain animation from Star Trek: Picard Season 3’s end-credits sequence. This web animation effect was created using the Three.js 3D library and is based on a buffergeometry drawrange example developed by Fernando Serrano.
I’ve been spending small chunks of my time here and there to developing this project, experimenting with visual effects and testing code since August 2023. I am excited to share it with you now! I hope you will find it both enjoyable and educational in your exploration of astronomy. And if you’d like to support the projects I create, 👉 please click here for more info 🖖
