Time Telescope 🔭

Time Telescope is a Rust-based web application that allows you to calculate the cosmic distance required to "look back in time" at Earth. Based on the principle that light travels at a finite speed, it determines how far away in space you would need to be to observe specific historical events on Earth as they happened.

It's not just a calculator; it's a cosmic travel guide. The app matches your target date with real astronomical landmarks (stars, nebulae, galaxies) and tells you exactly where you'd need to be standing in the universe to watch history unfold.

✨ Features

• Deep Time Calculation: Calculate distances for any date in history, from yesterday to ancient Egypt (BCE support included).
• Cosmic Landmarks: Automatically finds the nearest real star, galaxy, or nebula to your target distance. "To see the year 1998, go to Vega."
• Voyager 1 Context: Calculates how long it would take to travel there at current human maximum speeds (Voyager 1 speed ~17 km/s).
• Immersive UI: A beautiful, space-themed interface with a procedurally generated animated starfield.
• Historical Milestones: Quick-access buttons for major events like the Moon Landing, End of WWII, and the First Writing.

🚀 Tech Stack

• Backend: Rust 🦀
  • actix-web: High-performance web framework.
  • sqlx: Type-safe, async SQLite database interaction.
  • chrono: Robust date and time handling.
• Frontend: HTML5, CSS3, Vanilla JavaScript.
• Database: SQLite (embedded, zero-configuration).

🛠️ Installation & Setup

Prerequisites

• Rust & Cargo: You need to have Rust installed. If you don't, install it via rustup.rs:

  curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSf https://sh.rustup.rs | sh

• Git: To clone the repository.

Quick Start

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/imaazkhalid/time_telescope.git
   cd time_telescope

2. Run the application: Cargo handles everything, including building dependencies and setting up the database on the first run.

   cargo run

3. Access the App: Open your web browser and navigate to: 👉 http://127.0.0.1:8080

📖 How to Use

1. Enter a Date:
   • Use the "Year" field for any year (e.g., 2023, 1990).
   • For BCE (Before Common Era) dates, use negative numbers (e.g., -3200 for 3200 BCE).
   • Select the Month, Day, and Time.
2. Click "Focus Telescope":
   • The app will calculate the exact distance in Light Years, Kilometers, and Miles.
3. Explore the Results:
   • See which Cosmic Landmark (star/galaxy) is your viewing post.
   • See how many thousands (or millions!) of years it would take to travel there today.

🤝 Contributing

Contributions are welcome! If you have a favorite star or galaxy you'd like to add to the database, feel free to open a Pull Request.

1. Fork the Project
2. Create your Feature Branch (git checkout -b feature/AmazingFeature)
3. Commit your Changes (git commit -m 'Add some AmazingFeature')
4. Push to the Branch (git push origin feature/AmazingFeature)
5. Open a Pull Request