Star Catalogue Question - Stars near the Ecliptic

AI Thread Summary
Creating a catalogue of stars within a one-degree belt along the ecliptic is challenging due to the reliance on RA/Dec coordinates in most databases. Suggestions include downloading the UCAC 2 catalog and using a program to extract relevant stars, though manual input for RA and Dec points is necessary. The VizieR Service is also recommended for extracting data from various catalogs, with options for output formats. Additionally, there is interest in finding ecliptic-coordinate databases similar to those used by NASA for deep space probes, but such resources are not readily available online. This discussion highlights the need for accessible tools and databases for star cataloguing along the ecliptic.
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I'd like to create a catalogue of stars that are within a one degree belt along the ecliptic. Since most databases use RA/Dec coordinates, this appears to be a daunting task. Any suggestions?
 
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Download a catalog and then write a computer program to compile new data files.

If you have little programming experience, the following will work as well. Download the UCAC 2 catalog (http://www.hnsky.org/ucac2.htm ) and a program that let's you extract stars from the catalog using input parameters (http://www.projectpluto.com/ucac2.htm). If you use this program, you will have to manually determine the appropriate window size and RA and Dec points along the ecliptic for each extraction.

EDIT: You could accomplish the same (but for any catalog) by using the VizieR Service (http://vizier.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/VizieR). The standard output is in .html format and I do not recall if .txt format is an option--I just checked, yes it is.
 
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Thank you for your prompt reply. I will investigate the VizieR Service.

In the meantime, I read that NASA uses Ecliptic-coordinate databases for deep space probes, but I find no mention of such in lists of online star catalogues. It would be ideal if I could download such a database and make a simple extraction from it.
 
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