The sources of the astronomical data used to create the map are listed. The positive X-axis points at the galactic center ("Coreward"), the negative X-axis points at the galactic rim ("Rimward"), the positive Y-axis points in the direction of galactic rotation ("Spinward"), the negative Y-axis points opposite to the galactic rotation ("Trailing"). It is a Cartesian plot with the x-y plane parallel to the plane of the galaxy. It displays the locations of the spiral arms, suspected black holes, major dark/bright/planetary nebulae, open star clusters, bright beacon stars, supernova remnants, pre-supernovae, and pulsars. This a map of the entire Milky Way Galaxy, or at least the rimward half of it at any rate. In addition, HabCat stars have green lines to their two closest HabCat stars. Violet lines are drawn between each star and its two closest neighbors, and the lines are labeled with the distance. Stars listed in the HabCat database have a high probability of possessing a human habitable planet and are marked with a gold ring. Stars are indicated by an icon color coded to the spectral class of the star (or the brightest star if it is a multiple star system).
The map comes in a full sized 23" x 35" poster, and a small size 16” X 20” poster.ĭistances are in light-years. This is a map of the 100 nearest stars to the Sun, according to the RECONS dataset. Distances too far to fit inside the spherical bounds of the map are marked in bold print. Cross reference the horizontal distance between the two points in hexagons with the vertical distance on the table to find the actual distance. To the right is a True Distance table, used to calculate the actual three dimensional distance between any two points. The table includes the star name, HabCat status, spectral class, and Cartesian coordinates. In the bottom part of the poster, to the left, is a table of all the stars on the map. The lines should be straight but are artistically bent to flow along hexagonal lines in the name of clarity. The hexagons the lines enter are immaterial. Stars are labeled with the name of the brightest star in the system and with the height or depth from the surface of the map.ĭotted lines are drawn between each star and its two closest neighbors, and the lines are labeled with the distance. Stars listed in the HabCat database have a high probability of possessing a human habitable planet and are marked with a green ring. The map is spherical, so the various ring-shaped regions are labeled with the maximum height or depth values that will still be within the spherical boarder. Each hexagon is one light-year in diameter. The other has hexes that are too small, but can be used as campaign planning maps.ĭistances are in light-years.
The hexes on the full size map are large enough to accommodate a standard wargame playing counter. The map comes in a full sized 23" x 35" poster, and a small size 16” X 20” poster. The map is similar to the one found in the out-of-print wargame StarForce. The map is plotted on a hex grid, suitable for playing war games. This is a map of all known stars within 20 light-years of the Sun. In the bottom part of the poster is a table of all the stars on the map. In addition, HabCat stars have lines to their two closest HabCat stars. Overlapping star icons are moved slightly for clarity, but the Cartesian coordinates are accurate.ĭotted lines are drawn between each star and its two closest neighbors, and the lines are labeled with the distance. Stars are labeled with the name of all stars in the system and with the x,y,z Cartesian coordinates.
The positive X-axis points at the galactic center ("Coreward"), the negative X-axis points at the galactic rim ("Rimward"), the positive Y-axis points in the direction of galactic rotation ("Spinward"), the negative Y-axis points opposite to the galactic rotation ("Trailing").ĭistances are in light-years. The map comes in a full sized 23" x 35" poster, a small size 16” X 20” poster. This map is intended for SF authors plotting out their SF universes. The first is a map of all known stars within 30 light-years of the Sun.