By name: skymap.add-object description: Add a new deep-sky object or special object to Sky Map's catalog from a Wikipedia URL or user-supplied data. Handles all four required files. Trigger on "add object", "add nebula/galaxy/cluster", "add
Sky Map: Add Catalog Object
Add a new deep-sky or special object to Sky Map's data files from a Wikipedia page or supplied astronomical data.
Files to Edit (in order)
stardroid-v1/tools/data/deep_sky_objects.csv— source catalogstardroid-v1/app/src/main/res/values/celestial_objects.xml— searchable name stringsstardroid-v1/app/src/main/res/values/celestial_info_cards.xml— info card textstardroid-v1/app/src/main/assets/object_info.json— info card metadata + image references
Step 1 — Gather Astronomical Data
If $ARGUMENTS contains a Wikipedia URL, fetch that page and extract:
| Field | Notes |
|---|---|
| Primary name + aliases | Pipe-separated in CSV; all need strings in celestial_objects.xml |
| RA (decimal hours) | Convert from h m s: h + m/60 + s/3600 |
| Dec (decimal degrees) | Convert from °ʹʺ: ±(d + m/60 + s/3600) |
| Magnitude | Search a second source if not on Wikipedia; ask the user if still unknown |
| Angular size (arcmin) | Search a second source if not on Wikipedia; estimate from scale bars only if a scale bar with units is visible in an image; ask the user if still unknown |
| Type | Planetary Nebula / Diffuse Nebula / Galaxy / Globular Cluster / etc. |
| Constellation | |
| Distance (light-years) | |
| Physical size | For info card size string |
| Any catalog numbers | NGC, IC, etc. for the NGC# column |
If the fetch returns 403 or is blocked by robots.txt, stop and ask the user to download the page and paste or save the content locally.
Never use placeholder or default values for magnitude or angular size. If a value cannot be found after searching a second source, ask the user before proceeding.
Step 2 — Derive Resource Keys
The primary key = first name converted: spaces → underscores, lowercase, strip special chars.
Example: Exposed Cranium Nebula → exposed_cranium_nebula
Each alias also gets its own key. Example: PMR 1 → pmr_1
Digit-prefix rule: Android resource names cannot start with a digit. AbstractAsciiProtoWriter
applies the same rule: if the generated key starts with a digit, it is prefixed with n.
Example: 47 Tucanae → n47_tucanae, 47 Tuc → n47_tuc.
Apply this prefix consistently in all four files — celestial_objects.xml string names,
celestial_info_cards.xml string names, and all keys/key-references in object_info.json.
Step 3 — Edit deep_sky_objects.csv
Append a row at the end of the file (before any blank trailing line). Format:
Object,Type,RA (h),DEC (deg),Magnitude,Size (arcminutes),NGC#,Constellation,Detailed Type,Common Name
- Use the exact same type string in both Type and Detailed Type columns for non-Messier objects.
- NGC# column: use the NGC/IC number if one exists, otherwise the primary catalog ID (e.g.
PMR 1). - Common Name: the most recognisable display name.
Example:
Exposed Cranium Nebula|PMR 1,Planetary Nebula,9.47813,-49.6107,13.0,1.5,PMR 1,Vela,Planetary Nebula,Exposed Cranium Nebula
Step 4 — Edit celestial_objects.xml
Add name strings just before </resources>. One <string> per name/alias:
<!-- <Common Name> -->
<string name="<primary_key>" translation_description="<what it is>"><Display Name></string>
<string name="<alias_key>" translation_description="<what it is>"><Alias></string>
Escape apostrophes as \'. No hardcoded colour integers.
Step 5 — Edit celestial_info_cards.xml
Insert four strings before the <!-- ==================== CONSTELLATIONS ====================
comment. Use this template:
<!-- <Common Name> (<Catalog ID>) -->
<string name="object_info_<primary_key>_description" translation_description="Description of <Name> shown in the info card. Translate this text."><2-3 sentence description></string>
<string name="object_info_<primary_key>_funfact" translation_description="Fun fact about <Name> shown in the info card. Translate this text."><1-2 sentence fun fact></string>
<string name="object_info_<primary_key>_distance" translation_description="Distance to <Name> shown in the info card. Translate units if appropriate for your locale."><distance string></string>
<string name="object_info_<primary_key>_size" translation_description="Physical size of <Name> shown in the info card. Translate units if appropriate for your locale."><size string></string>
Description: 2–3 sentences. Cover what it is, where it is, and what makes it notable.
Fun fact: 1–2 sentences. Something surprising, record-breaking, or historically significant.
Distance: human-readable with units, e.g. ~5,000 light-years.
Size: physical extent, e.g. ~2 light-years across or orbital/mass info for compact objects.
Step 6 — Edit object_info.json
Insert a new entry after the last non-constellation object (currently after
"<primary_key>": {
"nameKey": "<primary_key>",
"descriptionKey": "object_info_<primary_key>_description",
"funFactKey": "object_info_<primary_key>_funfact",
"type": "<type>",
"distanceKey": "object_info_<primary_key>_distance",
"sizeKey": "object_info_<primary_key>_size",
"magnitude": "<magnitude as string, e.g. \"4.0\">"
},
Valid type values: nebula (for nebulae/remnants), galaxy, star, black_hole, cluster (for open/globular clusters), constellation.
If an image is available (see Step 7), also add:
"imageKey": "deep_sky_objects/<image_name>.webp",
"imageCredit": "<Credit string>"
Adding a Virtual Object (map-less)
A virtual object has an info card, appears in search, and shows in the gallery — but is not rendered on the sky map. It is associated with a renderable parent (e.g. the Galilean moons → Jupiter). Searching for a virtual object navigates the map to the parent and opens the virtual object's info card.
Virtual objects skip Steps 3 and 8 entirely (no CSV row, no protobuf regeneration).
Files to edit
| Step | File | What to add |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | celestial_objects.xml |
Name string(s) — same as normal |
| 2 | celestial_info_cards.xml |
Info card strings — same as normal |
| 3 | object_info.json |
Entry with "parentObjectId" set to the parent's key |
| 4 (optional) | celestial_images/ |
Image asset — same as normal; moons use the planets category |
object_info.json template
"<primary_key>": {
"nameKey": "<primary_key>",
"descriptionKey": "object_info_<primary_key>_description",
"funFactKey": "object_info_<primary_key>_funfact",
"type": "moon",
"distanceKey": "object_info_<primary_key>_distance",
"sizeKey": "object_info_<primary_key>_size",
"parentObjectId": "<parent_key>",
"searchSubtext": "<subtitle shown below object name in search dropdown>"
},
parentObjectIdis theobject_info.jsonkey of the renderable parent (e.g."jupiter").- No
magnitudefield is needed for virtual objects. - To link parent ↔ child in the info card "See Also" section, add
"seeAlso"arrays to both:
"jupiter": {
...
"seeAlso": ["io", "europa", "ganymede", "callisto"]
},
"io": {
...
"parentObjectId": "jupiter",
"seeAlso": ["jupiter", "europa", "ganymede", "callisto"]
},
UX behaviour
- Search: typing "Io" surfaces it as a suggestion; selecting it flies the map to Jupiter and opens Io's info card with the label "Looking for: Io".
- Gallery: virtual objects appear alongside renderable objects (if they have an image or info).
- Map tap: tapping Jupiter shows Jupiter's card with the "See Also" links to the moons.
- See Also: tapping a linked name in any info card opens that object's card.
Step 7 — Image (optional but recommended)
Look for a freely licensed image from one of these sources:
- NASA (nasa.gov, hubblesite.org, webb.nasa.gov) — public domain, use freely
- ESA/Hubble or ESA/Webb (esahubble.org, esawebb.org) — CC BY 4.0, use with attribution
- ESO (eso.org) — CC BY 4.0, use with attribution
- Wikipedia (wikipedia.org) — CC BY-SA 4.0, use with attribution
- Images with less restrictive licenses than specified are OK.
- Avoid images with unclear or restrictive licenses
If a suitable image is found, invoke the skymap.celestial-image skill, passing:
<image_url_or_local_path> deep_sky_objects/<source_agency>_<primary_key> [crop x1,y1,x2,y2]
For example: https://example.nasa.gov/image.jpg deep_sky_objects/webb_exposed_cranium_nebula 0,0,1000,1027
The skymap.celestial-image skill handles downloading, cropping, resizing to 480×800 WebP, and
deploying to the assets directory. It will also report the imageKey to use.
After it completes, add imageKey and imageCredit to the object_info.json entry. Credit
format follows the source:
- NASA:
"NASA/JPL"or"NASA/ESA/Hubble"etc. - ESA/Webb:
"NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI/<Processor Name>"(exact credit from the image page) - ESO:
"ESO/<Photographer Name>"
Step 8 — Regenerate Protobuf Data
Editing deep_sky_objects.csv does not take effect until the binary protobuf assets are
regenerated. Run from stardroid-v1/tools/:
./generate.sh # ASCII protocol buffers from CSV
./binary.sh # Binary assets → app/src/main/assets/
Or use the full build script (from stardroid-v1/) which includes data generation:
./build.sh
The skymap.build skill covers all build and data-generation commands in detail.
Step 9 — Verify
Quickly confirm:
- CSV row added with correct decimal RA/Dec
- All name aliases have string resources in celestial_objects.xml
- All four info card strings present in celestial_info_cards.xml
- object_info.json entry present with correct keys
- If image added: file exists at
app/src/main/assets/celestial_images/deep_sky_objects/<name>.webp - Protobuf data regenerated (
generate.sh+binary.shorbuild.sh)
Reference — Coordinate Conversion
RA: h m s → h + m/60 + s/3600 (decimal hours)
Dec: D° M' S" → ±(D + M/60 + S/3600) (decimal degrees, negative = south)
Example: RA 9h 28m 41.28s → 9 + 28/60 + 41.28/3600 = 9.47813 Example: Dec −49° 36′ 38.46″ → −(49 + 36/60 + 38.46/3600) = −49.6107
Reference — Existing Object Patterns
| Object | Key | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Crab Nebula (M1) | m1 |
nebula |
| Willman 1 | willman_1 |
galaxy |
| Sagittarius A* | sgr_a_star |
black_hole |
| Cygnus X-1 | cygnus_x_1 |
black_hole |
| Exposed Cranium Nebula | exposed_cranium_nebula |
nebula |