Sources currently used
New star gifts use Hipparcos-2 positions (ICRS, epoch J1991.25) from the Open Source Bright Star Catalog, compiled by johanley (CC0). HIP identifiers link to SIMBAD.
The separate Orion sky example uses positions from SIMBAD. The selected Cygnus X-1 and V404 Cygni positions are identified in our catalogue as SIMBAD / Gaia EDR3; Sagittarius A* is sourced from SIMBAD. A position may describe an associated star or radio source. Star certificates and black-hole artwork are illustrations.
SIMBAD
This research has made use of the SIMBAD database, operated at CDS, Strasbourg, France. 2000, A&AS, 143, 9, “The SIMBAD astronomical database”, Wenger et al.
SIMBAD Astronomical Database · Wenger et al. (2000), A&AS 143, 9.
ESA / Gaia / DPAC
This work has made use of data from the European Space Agency (ESA) mission Gaia (https://www.cosmos.esa.int/gaia), processed by the Gaia Data Processing and Analysis Consortium (DPAC, https://www.cosmos.esa.int/web/gaia/dpac/consortium). Funding for the DPAC has been provided by national institutions, in particular the institutions participating in the Gaia Multilateral Agreement.
Gaia Collaboration et al. (2016), The Gaia mission; Gaia Collaboration et al. (2021), Gaia Early Data Release 3: Summary of the contents and survey properties. Gaia EDR3 citation guidance.
Further astronomical references
The following are further astronomical resources. Listing them here does not mean their catalogues, images or graphics are currently used in Starlu’s gift artwork. Check the relevant licence before reuse.
- Gaia DR2: Gaia Collaboration et al. (2016), mission; Gaia Collaboration et al. (2018), DR2 summary. ESA Gaia.
- Hipparcos: ESA (1997), The Hipparcos and Tycho Catalogues, ESA SP-1200. Catalogue.
- Bright Star Catalogue: Hoffleit and collaborators (1991), fifth revised edition. Catalogue.
- HyperLeda: Makarov et al. (2014), A&A 570, A13. Database.
- OpenNGC: Mattia Verga. Database and licence.
- Caldwell catalogue and descriptions: Wikipedia; reuse depends on the applicable licence.
- Minor planets: IAU Minor Planet Center.
- Planetary images: NASA and JPL. Individual assets have conditions; consult the JPL image use policy.
- Other graphics in the supplied reference: landscapes and constellation lines by Fabien Chéreau; other graphics by Noctua Software. These are attributions for that reference, not a claim that those graphics appear on Starlu.
Digitized Sky Survey
STScI describes the DSS photographic plates and their copyright conditions. The supplied reference also describes a colour HiPS made from DSS2-red and DSS2-blue, with an averaged green channel and replacement of red plates 253, 260 and 359; 11 missing blue plates were not replaced. These background images are not used in Starlu’s current gift artwork.
Read the supplied DSS acknowledgement
The Digitized Sky Surveys were produced at the Space Telescope Science Institute under U.S. Government grant NAG W-2166. The images of these surveys are based on photographic data obtained using the Oschin Schmidt Telescope on Palomar Mountain and the UK Schmidt Telescope. The plates were processed into the present compressed digital form with the permission of these institutions. The National Geographic Society - Palomar Observatory Sky Atlas (POSS-I) was made by the California Institute of Technology with grants from the National Geographic Society. The Second Palomar Observatory Sky Survey (POSS-II) was made by the California Institute of Technology with funds from the National Science Foundation, the National Geographic Society, the Sloan Foundation, the Samuel Oschin Foundation, and the Eastman Kodak Corporation. The Oschin Schmidt Telescope is operated by the California Institute of Technology and Palomar Observatory. The UK Schmidt Telescope was operated by the Royal Observatory Edinburgh, with funding from the UK Science and Engineering Research Council (later the UK Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council), until 1988 June, and thereafter by the Anglo-Australian Observatory. The blue plates of the southern Sky Atlas and its Equatorial Extension (together known as the SERC-J), as well as the Equatorial Red (ER), and the Second Epoch [red] Survey (SES) were all taken with the UK Schmidt. Supplemental funding for sky-survey work at the ST ScI is provided by the European Southern Observatory.