Star Catalogue Question - Stars near the Ecliptic

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  • Thread starter Thread starter wgk22
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    Ecliptic Star Stars
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SUMMARY

The discussion focuses on creating a star catalogue of stars within a one-degree belt along the ecliptic. Users are advised to download the UCAC 2 catalog and utilize the extraction program from Project Pluto to compile data. For those seeking an alternative, the VizieR Service offers a method to extract stars from various catalogs, with outputs available in .txt format. The conversation also touches on NASA's use of Ecliptic-coordinate databases for deep space probes, highlighting a gap in available online star catalogues.

PREREQUISITES
  • Familiarity with celestial coordinates, specifically RA/Dec coordinates.
  • Basic understanding of programming concepts for data extraction.
  • Knowledge of star catalogues, particularly UCAC 2.
  • Experience with VizieR Service for astronomical data retrieval.
NEXT STEPS
  • Download and explore the UCAC 2 catalog from HNSKY.
  • Utilize the extraction program from Project Pluto to practice data extraction.
  • Investigate the VizieR Service for extracting star data and familiarize with its output formats.
  • Research Ecliptic-coordinate databases used by NASA for potential data sources.
USEFUL FOR

Astronomers, astrophysics researchers, and developers interested in compiling star catalogues or extracting astronomical data for analysis.

wgk22
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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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