🛰️ ClipperWatch

ClipperWatch is a high-fidelity orbital tracking dashboard for NASA's Europa Clipper mission as well as other deep space spacecraft. It pulls real-time telemetry from JPL Horizons to render a mathematically accurate, minimalist 1080p map of the solar system, designed for use as a desktop lock screen / wallpaper.

🚀 Features

• Real-time Tracking: Pulls live ephemeris data for the Sun, Planets, and the target spacecraft.
• Accurate Physics: Orbits are rendered as Keplerian ellipses using orbital elements.
• Mission HUD: Displays mission day, light-speed signal delay, and relative velocities (Sun, Earth, Europa).
• Spacecraft "Comet Tail": Visualizes the trail of the spacecraft's trajectory.

🛠️ Install dependencies

pip install astropy astroquery matplotlib numpy

Debian systems

sudo apt install python3-astropy python3-astroquery python3-matplotlib python3-numpy 

🖥️ Usage

Run the script directly to open an interactive window:

python3 clipperwatch.py

Command Line Arguments Argument Description --save Saves the output directly to disk instead of opening a window. --output .png Sets a custom filename for the saved image (Default: clipper_watch.png). --list Lists all the supported spacecrafts --spacecraft Select target spacecraft (Europa Clipper by default) --random Select target spacecraft at random!

Example:

python3 clipperwatch.py --save --output lockscreen.png
python3 clipperwatch.py --spacecraft Lucy

📟 Systemd Integration

Systemd service can ensure this script runs on boot after networking is up.

Copy the .config/ files under ~/.config/. Edit clipperwatch.service so that it stores the file to wherever you want it to and also update the path for the python script.

You should end up with:

~/.config/systemd/user/clipperwatch.service
~/.config/systemd/user/clipperwatch.timer

Then

systemctl --user daemon-reload
systemctl --user enable clipperwatch.timer
systemctl --user restart clipperwatch.timer
systemctl --user list-timers clipperwatch.timer

📊 Math & Data

Data Source: NASA/JPL Horizons API

Coordinate System: Heliocentric Ecliptic (J2000)

Scale: 1 unit = 1 Astronomical Unit (AU).

📡 Cool links

NASA has quite a few cool websites that can be used to gather data and track spacecraft:

https://eyes.nasa.gov/apps/solar-system/#/sc_europa_clipper

https://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/horizons/app.html#/

https://eyes.nasa.gov/apps/dsn-now/dsn.html

Disclaimer: This project is a fan-made tool and is not officially affiliated with NASA or JPL.