Home › Project Timeline
Project Timeline
This website did not appear all at once. It grew out of a Science Quest project and continues to expand. Below is a summary of its development.
The spark
Magnetars were chosen as the Science Quest topic because their properties seemed almost unbelievable. The more that was read, the more questions arose.
Science Quest project & prize
The magnetar research was presented and received a prize. There was considerably more material than could fit on a poster.
Research phase
A formal learning journal was started and reading expanded to cover how stars live and die—not only magnetars. Magnetars only make full sense once the entire life cycle is understood.
First website version
The basics of HTML and CSS were learned and a simple one-page site was built—the first version of the project online.
Expanding the content
The site was split into dedicated pages: an introduction to astronomy, the full life cycle of a star, and the magnetar section.
Learning to draw with code
SVG was adopted and all diagrams were redrawn as code for sharp display on phones and computers. The interactive Star Life Cycle Explorer was built.
Quizzes & interactive features
The self-marking quiz and magnetic field comparison tool were added. JavaScript was the most challenging but also the most rewarding part of development.
Polishing & sharing
The glossary search was improved, mobile support was added, and resources were published for teachers and students. A domain name was registered.
Where it's heading
See the future plans—a Hertzsprung-Russell diagram, additional quizzes, and a section on exoplanets are among the planned additions.