Starship Asterisk*

Did you ever wondered how many stars are there in some specific direction? In the image below, this number is color-coded per "square" degree (image is 360x180 RA/dec map):



P.S.> so... cough, coughh... is anyone going to help me or what?

I've just made another map, with number of stars mapped in blue, temperature in green and sqrt(radius) in red (this time not entirely accurate, because GIF only allows 256 combinations of colors):

Can this be proof that 'we are not alone' .

Nice work makc.

ps, is your sky survey map set up to do a distance sort?
with succeeding clicks it doubles the distance out from earth, say;
and it starts by showing all stars within 10 light years of earth,
next click all stars between 10 and 20 light years,
then 20-40 etc, soon one is to the center of the galaxy and
then all bets are off, as the center is pretty much as far as we can see in that direction, and in all other directions we are plumb out of stars already, only galaxies remain. And come to think of it , it would be nice if it did galaxies in the same fashion.!

I'm probably mostly useless at crunching data to set that up, as I'd not know how to set the problem up, and "It's all in the set-up" in order to get the work done most easily.

Nice Images!!!
It is interesting though just how much the first one resembles a Double-Helix though, DNA is everywhere...

kovil, unfortunately all ~112k of stars in the database are no further than 8k ly. according to a plan, the map will only have angular zoom, with every step showing more and more faint stars.

Hello All

Niceeeeeeee

There are lots and lots and this is why I find it very hard to think that all this and more was made just 14 billion yrs ago.

Hi ckam,

are you makc's relative? jaja

112k stars at 8000 LY or less. That's most excellent !!

At 10 ly then 10-20 , 20-40 , 40-80 that makes for lots of spheres of (electron shells) star distances to plot our course through the surrounding space, on our journey of discerning what closest systems are possibly habitable, or already populated by bacteria and larger life forms. Anti-seasnake venom from Aldebarian VII, always in demand.

I guess that would mean integrating a distance survey with the skymap survey to develop the distance shell maps. I can vision that star charts and ones like this to have extreme value once we do get spaceworthy.
Having a map like that would show me the most populated space within 10 light years of here. Or what local would have the most favored investigation spot, or what circular route (like a delivery messenger) would have the most numerous stops along it for maximum efficiency of investigation flight path, for the initial exploration unmanned surveyor to pilot.

Money and coins or paper will not be the favored medium of exchange in the future. Federal Reserve Notes, a fiat currency of no intrinsic value will be as archaic as the stone wheels used on the Island of Yapp 300 years ago. Flash drives with data will be the standard preferred medium of exchange, and star maps will command good value. The old saw that "Knowledge is Power" will make its return in spades !!!

hey kovil what are you smoking there?

112k stars at 8000 LY or less. That's most excellent !!

to refresh your memory, our galaxy is at least 10 times bigger.

Hi ckam,

Yes I've heard our galaxy is 100,000 LY in diameter.

and 8000 LY is only 12% or so. I'm looking at the closest 100 - 200 LY for the initial star maps as that is way beyond what we will likely ever go in even the next 1000 years of our collective species history. (i'm going out on the proverbial limb here to spur further exploration by adversity ! )

No smoke, just a free-er spirit than most. or more imaginative with less restrictions. (freeer or freer or free-er ? as opposed to more free )

In the 21st century our exploits will likely not go further than the closest dozen stars, 10 light years, and that would be unmanned of course. It took 20 years for Voyager to get past Pluto ! I would like to be able to see a set of star maps that show all the discernible stars in a 10 LY radius. Next map 10-20 LY radius. It allows my mind to go out there and see if any feelings arrive during the ponderence.

Also many stars are too dim to be seen readily. So more and more brown dwarfs and spent stellar cores etc will be discovered. The maps will also inform us of what local supernova products would be extant and help in determining element %'s likely to be local. This is all 'through a glass darkly' so it will be a continuous process of re-upping the database with current discoveries. The finer the local mapping, 1-100LY distance, the finer our knowledge of the history of our neighborhood, and thusly the more accurate our perception of what's happening here and what's happened here. From that we might get a more accurate handle on the true age of our galaxy.

Maps of even one light year depth would be good beyond expectation. 25 maps for 25 light years radial distance, I'd pay a princely sum for such fine pearls !

ckam, any aspirations to be royal map maker of the stars ?

You could be the very first to specifically design a set of navigational charts of this local spacetime volume. Grab that constellation by the horns and go for it !! Life can be operatic in its heroic immensity if one chooses to allow it to be so , like BBT says, allow the inflation of space-time to happen , and what results will truly blow your mind. Jump-start us into this century by dreaming of really going 'out there', and the way to do that is to do the plodding work like Tycho Brache did, and make the data collection, in the finest and most accurate way possible with the technology of the day, and dare to dream of making maps that will not be followed for over 200 years at the least !!!!!
Who will be that Leif Erickson, that Alexander, that Columbus, Drake, Cabot, de Gamma, who will be the first to set foot on a welcoming planet that orbits another star ? ! What 'Tales of Brave Ulysses' will be sung to working class heros, during a rest time in remembrance of 'the green hills of earth' someday , on a planet several parsecs away ?


To ponder this with a little more depth, 3 sets might be best.
One, everything up to 100 LY away, for the general overview of what's where in general in a one-shot view.
Two, 10 LY shells for more detail of clusters or types of stars etc.
Three, 1 LY shells for precise mapping of hard to see objects and things that are wandering thru, and other details that will make themselves more evident at that time in the future. Like locations of dangerous high gravity objects that are easily unseen until it is too late !!!

Kovil,
Have you seen this???

http://www.anzwers.org/free/universe/12lys.html

http://www.anzwers.org/free/universe/250lys.html

BMA1 , ( i just set the 250 Ly view for the desktop wallpaper !! )

Holy Mackerel !!! I've been scooped on this exclusive story !!

Many Thanks !!!!!!! , I had no idea this has been done. Cyberspace is much larger than I ever imagined. (if it can be imagined, it's out there in cyberspace somewhere ! ) Well I guess that shows me to be just an ingnorant dreamer! What a trip !!! I'll have lots of fun looking at all the charts they have, and from first look it looks like there are a lot !!! It's the old problem of showing a curved surface on a flat map, now it is the new problem of showing a three dimensional representation on a flat map. The sci-fi navigation room with its holographic projection in real 3D and it moves too ! is remembered from classic films, someday to be constructed for real !
This IS the 21st century isn't it !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I for one enjoy the gravity, clean air, warmth of the sun on a pleasant afternoon , which this beautiful planet offers.

Earthly Haiku

A green tree in a blue sky
A sandwich and a beer,
I'm rich beyond my wildest dreams !

Hello All

50,000 light year setting

This link is great

http://www.anzwers.org/free/universe/galaxy.html

at 500,000 light yrs

http://www.anzwers.org/free/universe/sattelit.html


The Universe within 5 million Light Years
The Local Group of Galaxies
at 5,000,000 light yrs
http://www.anzwers.org/free/universe/localgr.html

The Universe within 100 million Light Years
The Virgo Supercluster
http://www.anzwers.org/free/universe/virgo.html


The Universe within 1 billion Light Years
The Neighbouring Superclusters
http://www.anzwers.org/free/universe/superc.html


Its just amazing,,,,,,,,,,,,,I wander how accurate it is.