Python Turtle: Creating a Starry Night Sky Tutorial

Python Turtle is a fantastic tool for beginners and experienced programmers alike, offering an easy-to-use yet powerful way to create graphics and animations. In this tutorial, we will explore how to use Python Turtle to draw a starry night sky, perfect for those who want to dip their toes into the realm of computational art.
‌Step 1: Setting Up the Environment‌

First, ensure you have Python installed on your computer. Python Turtle is part of the standard Python library, so you don’t need to install any additional packages. Open your favorite text editor or IDE and create a new Python file.
‌Step 2: Importing Turtle‌

At the top of your file, import the Turtle module by adding the following line:

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import turtle

‌Step 3: Setting Up the Screen‌

Before we start drawing, let’s set up our canvas. We’ll make the background black to resemble a night sky.

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screen = turtle.Screen()
screen.bgcolor("black")

‌Step 4: Drawing Stars‌

To draw stars, we can use Turtle’s forward() and right() methods. However, for a more realistic starry night, we’ll randomize the positions and sizes of our stars.

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star = turtle.Turtle()
star.speed(0)  # Sets the drawing speed
star.color("white")  # Sets the star color

import random

for _ in range(100):  # Draw 100 stars
    star.penup()
    x = random.randint(-300, 300)
    y = random.randint(-300, 300)
    star.goto(x, y)
    star.pendown()
    star_size = random.randint(5, 20)
    star.begin_fill()
    for _ in range(5):  # Draw a star with 5 points
        star.forward(star_size)
        star.right(144)
    star.end_fill()

‌Step 5: Adding a Moon‌

To enhance our starry night, let’s add a moon. We’ll draw a simple circle for this.

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moon = turtle.Turtle()
moon.speed(0)
moon.color("light yellow")
moon.penup()
moon.goto(-200, 200)
moon.pendown()
moon.begin_fill()
moon.circle(50)
moon.end_fill()

‌Step 6: Finishing Up‌

Finally, let’s hide the turtle cursor and keep the window open until we manually close it.

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star.hideturtle()
moon.hideturtle()
turtle.done()

Congratulations! You’ve successfully created a starry night sky using Python Turtle. Experiment with different colors, sizes, and quantities of stars to make your sky unique.

[tags]
Python, Turtle, Graphics, Programming, Tutorial, Starry Night, Animation, Computational Art