◈ NEON//ARCHIVE

SOURCES / CREDITS / METHODS

Where the data
comes from.

Every record should make it possible to distinguish a live measurement, a model estimate, a conceptual visual, and a historical source.

NASA and mission imagery

Gallery and spacecraft images link to their NASA, JPL, or mission-team record wherever possible. NASA material is credited to NASA and is used for factual, educational presentation. Some NASA pages contain third-party copyrighted work; the credit on the source record controls.

Live and calculated data

  • The Tonight outlook uses Open-Meteo forecast and GeoNames-backed geocoding data, requested only with rounded coordinates or a city query.
  • Astronomical darkness, Moon illumination, Moon altitude, and observing scores are planning estimates calculated by Neon Archive.
  • Naked-eye planet positions, apparent brightness, rise/set times, and local observing windows are calculated in the browser with Astronomy Engine 2.0.3 (MIT). Fixed reference cases are checked against NASA/JPL Horizons.
  • NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day data comes from NASA’s APOD service.
  • ISS position and velocity come from Where the ISS at?, with Open Notify as a fallback. Local ISS pass predictions use CelesTrak orbital elements propagated with satellite.js; times remain estimates.
  • ISS crew records come from The Space Devs and are checked against NASA expedition information.
  • The country or ocean below the ISS is resolved through BigDataCloud’s reverse-geocoding client.
  • Moon phase and distance values are astronomical estimates generated for the current time.

Astronomical events and field guidance

The event calendar combines NASA eclipse, Moon, monthly skywatching, and meteor references with the shared Neon Archive meteor records. Global dates do not guarantee local visibility. Guided Sky Finder directions use rounded coordinates, local astronomy calculations, and predicted ISS passes; optional device-orientation readings stay in the browser and are never transmitted or stored.

Reference catalogs

Exoplanet parameters cite the NASA Exoplanet Archive. Planet records cite NASA Science. Launch and space-history entries link to NASA, JPL, ESA, or official mission records.

Editorial standard

Neon Archive summarizes primary records in original language. A source link is not a claim that the source reviewed or endorsed this site. When a scientific interpretation is disputed, the page should identify the leading explanations and the present evidence status.

Corrections

If a source link is broken or a summary is inaccurate, please report the page and record through the contact page.