Generative NASA Dome Engine

Concept

A real-time engine that ingests NASA datasets (aurora cams, solar flares, Earth-observing satellites, exoplanet catalogs) and turns them into dome-native, generative art/science shows. No static movie files — it’s always new, always data-driven.

🔭 Data sources

• Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO): sunspots, solar flares → drive particle flows & shader bursts.
• TEMPO mission: live North American air quality data → color the “breathing” atmosphere overhead.
• Exoplanet Archive: feed planet orbital parameters → generate alien skies, dome panoramas.
• EarthData: ocean currents, ice flows, bloom maps → drive slow generative morphs on the dome.

🎛️ Generative layer

• Shaders + Particles: GPU-driven GLSL mapped to domemaster — aurora curtains, magnetic field lines, coronal ejections.
• Procedural Audio-reactivity: data values map to sound design; audiences hear solar wind speeds or pollen bloom intensity.
• Parameter Bridging: sliders for “science mode” (raw data viz, labelled) vs. “art mode” (interpreted, dreamlike).

🚀 What it looks like in the Dome

• You sit down under the HR Mac dome. Instead of a 2012 canned film, you’re in a living space weather performance. Solar wind readings from today ripple as aurora bands across the ceiling.
• Switch to oceans: NASA chlorophyll maps paint BC’s coastal blooms as evolving colors.
• End with exoplanets: procedural skies generated from Kepler data wrap the dome like a cosmic dreamscape.