24 Nearby star/galaxy coordinates (Space)
Description
This article is from the Space FAQ, by Jon Leech leech@cs.unc.edu and Mark Bradford tla@surly.org with numerous contributions by others.
24 Nearby star/galaxy coordinates (Space)
To generate 3D coordinates of astronomical objects, first obtain an
astronomical database which specifies right ascension, declination, and
parallax for the objects. Convert parallax into distance using the
formula in part 6 of the FAQ, convert RA and declination to coordinates
on a unit sphere (see some of the references on planetary positions and
spherical trignometry earlier in this section for details on this), and
scale this by the distance.
Two databases useful for this purpose are the Yale Bright Star catalog
(sources listed in FAQ section 3) or "The Catalogue of Stars within 25
parsecs of the Sun", in
ftp://ftp.cs.unc.edu/pub/users/leech/FAQ/
(files stars.data and stars.doc)
A potentially useful book along these lines is:
"Proximity Zero, A Writer's Guide to the Nearest 200 Stars (A
40-Lightyear Radius)"
Terry Kepner
ISBN # 0-926895-02-8
Available from the author for $14.95 + $2.90 shipping ($5 outside US):
Terry Kepner
PO Box 481
Petersborough, NH 03458
Continue to:
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