Is there someplace I can get good info about the stars surrounding Sol? I understand that we now have very good measurements out to about 200 light years thanks to a satellite called Hipparcus (sp?), but I’ve never seen the data available in convenient form. In particular I’d like a breakdown by spectral type and which systems are multiple stars, and I’d like to know how far out we can say we’ve spotted all the stellar objects that are there (including dim red dwarves). Maps, especially 3D would be a bonus.
I understand you can request this info, but you may have to pay for it. I believe NASA and JPL, et al, may have to provide this info under the FOIA, public domain, or other fed gov acts. I have a friend with NASA research…I’ll see what he and his wife knows )(both astrophysicists researching from sateliite-collected data…)
Oh, also contact Johns Hopkins’ Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore or the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, MD! Hope this all helps!
Will post-back ASAP!!!
- Jinx
The Gliese Catalog lists all known stars within 25 parsecs.
The Hipparcos site has a more extensive catalog, as well as some visual results in 3D stereo format.
Here’s a map of the known stars within 20 light years of earth. This site also has links to 3D mapping programs.