STAR CATALOGUES! - The versions Frontier uses in the game

Michael Brookes

Game Director
Thanks for dropping by! Much appreciated. I've been looking for a big cluster that is in 2MASS but I can't find in game. I'm sure many others have looked too. This is an example of why I think it's useful to know more about which stars are in game and which aren't, I think it will avoid a few headaches.

The only 2MASS stars in game are typically associated with clusters, but if I remember correctly there's only a couple of hundred clusters in game (the main reason for this is the surprising lack of accurate positional data for many stars!) - which cluster are you looking for?

Michael
 
The only 2MASS stars in game are typically associated with clusters, but if I remember correctly there's only a couple of hundred clusters in game (the main reason for this is the surprising lack of accurate positional data for many stars!) - which cluster are you looking for?
Michael
Westerlund-1. It's a long way from Sol and I think the position of many stars is poorly known, which would be a reason for not including it in the game. Having said that, I'm surprised that you didn't just play god and decide "These stars are here in the ED galaxy". But I suppose if you'd tried to put all the known stars in then the game might never have been released!

Is the reason for lack of good positional data the reason for the "beams" of stars emanating from Sol in various directions? They are long and much more dense than the surrounding area, which suggests to me it's an elongated cluster, stretched because we can't easily judge distance from Sol. Search "2XMMi" in Galmap and you'l find one, the only one with a star from this set.

Maybe in 3.0 the galaxy might be refurbished? Probably not, a lot of work for a small audience.
 
Hi Michael, I guess that since I didn't reply immediately (at work) and because of the weekend, charity livestream, general Xmas fun/games/hair-tearing you've probably missed my reply. Please tell me if I'm being blind and this cluster is really there or not, it's potentially a very interesting one.
Thanks :)
 

Michael Brookes

Game Director
Westerlund-1. It's a long way from Sol and I think the position of many stars is poorly known, which would be a reason for not including it in the game. Having said that, I'm surprised that you didn't just play god and decide "These stars are here in the ED galaxy". But I suppose if you'd tried to put all the known stars in then the game might never have been released!

Is the reason for lack of good positional data the reason for the "beams" of stars emanating from Sol in various directions? They are long and much more dense than the surrounding area, which suggests to me it's an elongated cluster, stretched because we can't easily judge distance from Sol. Search "2XMMi" in Galmap and you'l find one, the only one with a star from this set.

Maybe in 3.0 the galaxy might be refurbished? Probably not, a lot of work for a small audience.

That cluster isn't in game.

The reason for lines of stars is observational bias as the sky surveys tend to get the direction, but not decent distance data. They can also occur when a sky survey is only in a particular direction.

Michael
 
Pretty much as I thought then, good to know I want being totally daft! Themed for taking the time to reply, merry midwinter festival!
 
Incidentally, I just bought myself this for christmas ...

images
It's not the most detailed astronomy book in the world (more of a coffee table gift) but my plan next year is to bookmark each of the places in-game (where they exist), follow as much of the tour as I can, and read about (and screenshot) each of the locations as and when I arrive at it. Hell I might even do a forum thread.

Edit: hell hell ... I might even make a video series ... OMG, I'm actually really quite psyched about this project now!
 
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If it wasn't mentionned already :

GCRV/ General Catalogue of stellar Radial Velocities
StKM/ Stephenson, K and M : "Dwarf K and M stars of small proper motion found in a large spectroscopic survey."

I have no idea if those are fully in game, or just parts of them.
 
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I imagine that this thread will probably get lost in the ocean of dangerous discussion, so may I suggest that it is moved to the exploration sub-forum where it will likely find a more interested audience?

I would be on board with this. I would like more feedback. It would be nice to see the other Super massive stars that we know about make an appearance in game. They're systems which are essentially just the star itself, so it's not exactly a massive content update, but it will make ALOT of explorers happy and give some of us an aim to get to. As it stands we've got about 3-4 large stars (VY Canis Majoris, Betelgeuse etc).

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Bertrand, I think only parts of them are in the game. None the less, I will add them to the list. Thanks for the addition, have +1 rep
 
I would be on board with this. I would like more feedback. It would be nice to see the other Super massive stars that we know about make an appearance in game. They're systems which are essentially just the star itself, so it's not exactly a massive content update, but it will make ALOT of explorers happy and give some of us an aim to get to. As it stands we've got about 3-4 large stars (VY Canis Majoris, Betelgeuse etc).

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Bertrand, I think only parts of them are in the game. None the less, I will add them to the list. Thanks for the addition, have +1 rep

There are a large number of supermassive stars in the game, I've chanced across about 10-15 randomly in the 30,000 odd systems I've visited.

And theres just over 10 known ones from real life afaik. Possibly a few more:
Vy Canis Majoris
KY Cygni
Mu Cephei
X Carinae
Betelgeuse
Theta muscae
Hip 117078
Sigma Canis Majoris
Antares
RS Persei
Sadr
EZ Orionis

Source - https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php/237956-Exploration-Achievement-System-(EAS)
 
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There are a large number of supermassive stars in the game, I've chanced across about 10-15 randomly in the 30,000 odd systems I've visited.

I more meant the really big stars that we know about. UY Sculptoris is the largest one we know about (about 1000 times the size of Sol). That's a nice list though, I went to VY Canis Majoris on my last exploration excursion. I'm heading out to the NGX 7822 Nebula (the one with loads of O class stars with Black Hole binaries).

The stars are real thin out this way. I have a 31ly range on my ASP & only 1 star is in range when I am at Outorst BB-D B-55-O presently (about 400ly away from the Nebula and 2900ly away from the bubble). Makes for an interesting trip! I'm glad I have the materials for a couple of 100% FSD boosts.
 
I more meant the really big stars that we know about. UY Sculptoris is the largest one we know about (about 1000 times the size of Sol). That's a nice list though, I went to VY Canis Majoris on my last exploration excursion. I'm heading out to the NGX 7822 Nebula (the one with loads of O class stars with Black Hole binaries).

The stars are real thin out this way. I have a 31ly range on my ASP & only 1 star is in range when I am at Outorst BB-D B-55-O presently (about 400ly away from the Nebula and 2900ly away from the bubble). Makes for an interesting trip! I'm glad I have the materials for a couple of 100% FSD boosts.

Ah yeah, maybe I should have read your post a bit better, my bad :p

If you haven't been I can highly recommend Betelgeuse, I think I was the first to land on the planet nearest it in beta, frankly haven't found anything close to it since...
Spoiler warning: https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php/205806-Betelgeuse-SRV-Landing

Anyone have a list of the supermassive stars we know about that arn't in game? That may make it easier to add them for a developer. However as was previously discussed in this thread by Devs themselves it's unlikely that there will be too many major changes in the galaxy map as the worldspace has had a lot of exploration and you can't really change what's been explored without risking upsetting someone... Having said that adding 5-6 new systems in like UY Sculptoris should be feasible provided it doesn't break other things and provided it doesn't require them to loose the first discovered tags. :p

Although It would be cool to see a "goldrush" type exploration thing for new stuff like this if/when they get added. Although if publicised in the patch notes it will be a "which 60ly Anaconda can get into the new update first and get there/back?"
 
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If it became a goldrush with the new systems known about it would be a shame, it would be nicer if any new real-life content like this was just noted in the patch notes as "Stellar Forge update" or similar.

For the clusters and stars that have poorly known sizes and distances, I think FDev could take creative/god licence and choose what they prefer, especially if this allows then to put them in a place that hasn't been visited much yet.

Something on the explorers' forum wishlist for 3.0?

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I would be on board with this. I would like more feedback. <snip>
Then if Michael looks at the thread again perhaps he could move it to the Exploration sub-forum?
 
I've already been to Betelgeuse and VY Canis Majoris. I try and find all the large Type II stars along whatever route I go & make a point about stopping near them, much in the same way as I do Neutron stars, Black holes & White Dwarfs. I usually try and visit G type & F type stars too, for the water worlds and earth likes. Find about 50 water worlds to one earth like though...unfortunately.

And I would stock up on Arsenic and Polonium & take my Asp-E out there to UY Sculptoris. I already know where about it SHOULD be lol.

I made a list somewhere, but I think it died when my laptop HDD died about 10 months ago (got a replacement now). Wikipedia has a list of them, just Galmap search the Catalogue numbers or actual names. Most stars with radi 50 times larger than our sun are not in Elite. Some are, like Betelgeuse and VY Canis Majoris, but others are not.

If it became a goldrush with the new systems known about it would be a shame, it would be nicer if any new real-life content like this was just noted in the patch notes as "Stellar Forge update" or similar.

For the clusters and stars that have poorly known sizes and distances, I think FDev could take creative/god licence and choose what they prefer, especially if this allows then to put them in a place that hasn't been visited much yet.

Something on the explorers' forum wishlist for 3.0?

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Then if Michael looks at the thread again perhaps he could move it to the Exploration sub-forum?

Agree on the move, didn't occur to me when I made the thread >.<

I hope for Penrose effect Black Hole boosts, Dangerous Black holes (which you can scan from 15-20ls away! not 5ls), accretion disks, FDev adding in those PSR Clusters that are 1000ly below & above the Galactic pane (so we can go visit them!), also, seeing what they can do to make Veriable stars and Contact Binaries more accurate.

Maybe they could have like a Community work audit/drive or something. Get us lot, after being checked over, given the ability to update inaccurate star info (ie: size, radi, other pertinent information, and star class). I've gone to G type stars only to find that they're actually F type stars, and visa versa. Had it happen with a TTS/T-Tauri Star before & i thought it was an M type, as mentioned in GalMap, yet I couldn't refuel from it! Still had 3 jumps worth in the tank luckily.
 
<snip>...FDev adding in those PSR Clusters that are 1000ly below & above the Galactic pane (so we can go visit them!)...
I recently searched for just "PSR" in Galmap. It took me 1000s of ly below the galactic plane, a bunch of PSR named systems briefly showed then disappeared. I think there are many many systems in the ED galaxy that are hidden for whatever reason. I remember that Michael said that some globular clusters were in game and with his god mode he could sit there are look down/up on the milky way in its entirely - more like the Moon's view of Earth than from Everest.
 
Yes he did mention that. Adding Globular clusters in like Version 4.0 or something might be feasible. It would be a good DLC to add, although it would be awesome if it was for free! Can't remember if I have DLC pass or not, but I would get a DLC that added in globular clusters and such things!

Onjects like GU Muscae and Cygini X1 are impossible to get to at the moment as well I believe, even with NS Boost in a 50ly range Exploraconda. I'm heading out to Formidine Rift, in NGC 7822 at present (it's lovely here), so maybe I'll get right out to the edge of the Cygnus arm of the Milky Way. Be nice if I stumble upon a random "cloning" base out here, because it seems like they've hidden something out here.
 
Onjects like GU Muscae and Cygini X1 are impossible to get to at the moment as well I believe, even with NS Boost in a 50ly range Exploraconda. I'm heading out to Formidine Rift, in NGC 7822 at present (it's lovely here), so maybe I'll get right out to the edge of the Cygnus arm of the Milky Way. Be nice if I stumble upon a random "cloning" base out here, because it seems like they've hidden something out here.

GU Muscae *should* be accessible now with jumponium. I remember looking at it before we had jumponium thinking it wasn't accessible.
Cygni X-1 is definitely accessible in-game and 7 kylies spinward of the bubble in the direction of Cygnus.
I think you probably meant Cygni X-3 which is 30 kylies straight galactic west of the bubble.
 
GU Muscae *should* be accessible now with jumponium. I remember looking at it before we had jumponium thinking it wasn't accessible.
Cygni X-1 is definitely accessible in-game and 7 kylies spinward of the bubble in the direction of Cygnus.
I think you probably meant Cygni X-3 which is 30 kylies straight galactic west of the bubble.

Interesting. I might take my Asp E out to GU Muscae to see if I can get to real life X-Ray source! As for Cygni X-1 and X-3...Yes, I meant X-3. I highly Doubt Cygni X-3 is accessible at present, even with Engineered FSD range at grade 5 and best outcome + Jumponium on a Asp E or a Exploraconda.
 
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