Nova DSO Tracker v5.3.0 – Nova DSO Tracker

This release brings multi-language support to Nova DSO Tracker, making the application available in 6 languages with full UI and help documentation translations. It also introduces a web-based user management panel for multi-user deployments.

New Features

Multi-Language Support

Nova DSO Tracker is now available in 6 languages:

English (EN) – Original
German (DE) – Full translation, community review welcome
French (FR) – Machine-translated, community review welcome
Spanish (ES) – Machine-translated, community review welcome
Japanese (JA) – Machine-translated, community review welcome
Chinese Simplified (ZH) – Machine-translated, community review welcome

A language selector dropdown in the header lets you switch languages at any time. Your preference is saved per user account (or per session for guests).

Full UI Translation

The entire interface has been internationalized, including:

Dashboard – tabs, status strip, table headers, filter placeholders, loading messages
Config page – tab buttons, rig card labels, download/import menus
Objects section – all labels, buttons, and help text
Journal – section headers, form fields, and navigation elements
Graph view – tooltips, legends, and controls
Heatmap – legend text and controls
Modals – About, help, and inspiration banner
Mobile interface – all mobile-specific strings

Help Documentation

Complete help documentation is available in all 6 languages across 15 help topics, including data management, horizon mask, locations, objects, rigs, search syntax, simulation mode, and more.

CJK Font Support

Noto Sans JP for Japanese text
Noto Sans SC for Chinese Simplified
Astronomical data fields (coordinates, catalog numbers) remain in DM Mono for clarity

Translation Status Banner

For machine-translated locales (ES, JA, ZH), a dismissible banner informs users of the translation status and invites community feedback.

Technical Term Preservation

Nova-specific and astronomical terms are preserved untranslated across all languages: Nova, DSO, SQM, RA, Dec, FWHM, RMS, PHD2, ASIAIR, NINA, OAG, SIMBAD, HFR, FITS, and more.

Enhanced Object Filters

The Manage My Objects filter now supports flexible range expressions for Magnitude and Size:

<15 – Less than 15
>5 – Greater than 5
>5 <30 – Range between 5 and 30
Plain number – Exact match

Web UI for User Management – contributed by Gilles Morain (Multi-User Mode)

Admins can now manage users directly from the Nova interface without using the command line. A new User Management panel at /admin/users is accessible only to the admin account and supports:

Create users – username and password with instant feedback
Activate / Deactivate users – temporarily block access without deleting the account
Reset passwords – inline per-user password reset
Delete users – removes login credentials only; all observing data is preserved

The admin account itself cannot be deactivated or deleted from the UI.

CLI Commands for User Management

flask add-user – create a new user account
flask rename-user – rename an existing user
flask change-password – change a user’s password
flask delete-user – delete a user account

Docker Compose Dev Configuration

A new docker-compose-dev.yml is included for contributors and developers building from local source, while docker-compose.ymlcontinues to use the official published image.

Bug Fixes

Translation completeness – Filled 80+ empty translation entries across Spanish and Chinese
Placeholder alignment – Fixed Moon Illumination placeholder format in ES and ZH translations
HTML rendering – Moved HTML formatting from msgid to msgstr for proper rendering in translated content
Inspiration banner – Fixed partial translations in French and German
Broken PO files – Removed conflict markers and duplicate entries from ES, ZH, and JA translation files
Objects count display – Aligned parameter name with i18n placeholder
Heatmap legend – Added translatable text for heatmap legend
Graph view – Resolved background color and JavaScript errors
Dashboard – Fixed missing brackets in column headers and countdown timer display in status bar

Upgrade Notes

New dependency – flask-wtf is required for CSRF protection. Run pip install -r requirements.txt to update
No database migration required – Language preference is stored in UiPref.json_blob
Automatic language detection – Browser language preference is used on first visit, defaults to English
User management – Available in multi-user mode only (SINGLE_USER_MODE=False)
Docker Compose – New docker-compose-dev.yml available for local development

Special thanks to Gilles Morain (@gmorain) for contributing the user management feature – the first external pull request in the project’s history.

Thanks for using Nova DSO Tracker! As always, feedback is welcome — please report any issues on GitHub.