Siderust

Precision astronomy & satellite mechanics in safe, fast Rust.

Siderust aims to be the reference ephemeris and orbit‑analysis library for embedded flight‑software as well as research‐grade pipelines. Every algorithm ships with validation tests against authoritative data (JPL Horizons, IMCCE, SOFA). No unsafe blocks, no hidden allocations.

Table of Contents

1. Features
2. Installation
3. Coordinate Systems
4. Units & Physical Quantities
5. Quick Start
6. Accuracy & Benchmarks
7. Crate Layout
8. Roadmap
9. Contributing
10. License
11. Acknowledgments

Features

Installation

Add to your Cargo.toml:

[dependencies]
siderust = "0.1"

Coordinate Systems

Siderust encodes both the origin and the orientation of every vector at the type level:

use siderust::coordinates::{CartesianCoord, centers::*, frames::*};

// Position of Mars in the Heliocentric Ecliptic frame
let mars_helio = CartesianCoord::<Heliocentric, Ecliptic>::new(x, y, z);

// Convert to Geocentric Ecliptic spherical coordinates
let mars_geo: CartesianCoord::<Geocentric, Ecliptic> = mars_helio.transform(jd);

Impossible states (e.g. adding heliocentric and geocentric vectors) simply do not compile.

Units & Physical Quantities

use siderust::units::{AU, KM, DEG, DAY};
use siderust::units::*;

let distance = 1.523 * AU; // Mars semi‑major axis
let period   = 686.97 * DAY;

The compiler will refuse distance + period – dimensional analysis at compile time.

Quick Start

use siderust::{
    bodies::Mars,
    units::JulianDay,
};
use chrono::prelude::*;

// 1. Select an epoch (UTC now to JD)
let jd = JulianDay::from_utc(Utc::now());

// 2. Compute heliocentric barycentric coordinates via VSOP87
let mars = Mars::vsop87e(jd);

// 3. Print mars

println!("{}", mars.position);

Accuracy & Benchmarks

All numeric kernels are cross‑checked against JPL Horizons (see siderust-py #TODO):
|Δα|, |Δδ| < #TBD mas for planets (1800–2200 CE). Full tables in #TBD.

-- This is jsut a placeholder to put the real data --

Crate Layout

├─ astro/        # Astronomical properites (nutation, precession, …)
├─ bodies/       # Data Structures for celestial bodies (Planet, Star, Satelite, …)
├─ calculus/     # Numerical kernels (kepler, vsop87, …)
├─ coordinates/  # Coordinate types & transforms
├─ observatory/  # Ground stations & observer helpers
├─ target.rs     # Target<T> & ProperMotion
└─ units/        # Dimensional quantities

Roadmap

• Custom dynamic reference centers (topocentric)
• DE440/441 ephemerides (barycentric)
• Gaia DR3 star ingestion & cone search
• Relativistic light‑time & gravitational deflection
• Batch orbit determination helpers (LSQ & EKF)
• GPU acceleration via wgpu (experiment)

Contributing

Contributions of algorithms, bug fixes or docs are welcome! Please:

1. Fork & clone (git clone)
2. Create a feature branch
3. Run all tests & clippy (cargo test && cargo clippy -- -D warnings)
4. Open a PR with a clear description

By participating you agree to follow the Rust Code of Conduct.

License

This project is licensed under the GNU Affero General Public License v3.0 (AGPL-3.0). The AGPL-3.0 ensures that:

• Any modifications and redistributions of the code (including as a network service) remain free and open.
• End users have access to the full source code, including any improvements or extensions made.

Note for commercial or proprietary use: If you wish to incorporate this code into a closed-source or otherwise differently licensed project, a dual-licensing arrangement can be negotiated. Please contact the authors to discuss terms and conditions for a commercial or proprietary license that suits your needs.

Acknowledgments

Big thanks to Màrius Montón (@mariusmm) for inviting me to his three-week Rust intro course at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) in 2024 that nudge set this project in motion.