Dev Tools · 1h ago
Building a Global Birth-Chart Calculator: The Hard Part Was Time
A developer details the challenges of building AstroZen, a Next.js app that calculates BaZi and Western birth charts. Key issues include resolving ambiguous city names to coordinates and time zones, and handling historical time-zone rules and daylight saving. The solution uses Open-Meteo geocoding with scoring and treats unknown times as missing rather than defaulting.
Meridian48 take
The post offers a solid technical deep-dive into geocoding and time-zone handling, but the niche astrology use case limits its broader appeal.
geocodingtime-zone-handling