The Star Wars Galaxy

[Sunchaser]

That's pretty precise...thanks!
I'll see what I can come up with...

-M-

[Sunchaser]

Ok, something very annoying is going on here....I enter the coordinates, and the cluster gets placed far, far away from The Galaxy. (And yes, I made sure the dec was in the negative.)

Actually, I spent a little time with it yesterday trying to sort it out...no dice.

-M-

[selden]

Don't forget that Stars and other STC objects are placed by specifying RA in fractional degrees, while Galaxies and other DSC objects are placed specifying RA in fractional hours. An hour is 15x the size of a degree, so using exactly the same value in both STC and DSC files places objects far apart on the sky.

[PlutonianEmpire]

Yeah, here's an old thread on it that may be useful.

viewtopic.php?f=15&t=14196

[Sunchaser]

Ok, I'm getting it a little more sorted out, and what I'm shooting for is doing several clusters (stars only). It's not quite ready yet...but I'm getting close.

BTW, Rasillon's Generator (which is quite wonderful) creates a lot of R and S stars. Any way of adjusting the parameters/spectral types and classes? If not, that's fine. The other thing is if the magnitude entered could be changed to that of Absolute Mag instead of Apparent...(it's kinda wierd to see an F3 supergiant with .34 solar luminosity...) if not, again, that's fine.

I've got a couple of kinks to work out of the clusters (no clue how to make 'em flatter) but should have something up soon.

-M-

[Reiko]

Ok, I'm getting it a little more sorted out, and what I'm shooting for is doing several clusters (stars only). It's not quite ready yet...but I'm getting close.

BTW, Rasillon's Generator (which is quite wonderful) creates a lot of R and S stars. Any way of adjusting the parameters/spectral types and classes? If not, that's fine. The other thing is if the magnitude entered could be changed to that of Absolute Mag instead of Apparent...(it's kinda wierd to see an F3 supergiant with .34 solar luminosity...) if not, again, that's fine.

I've got a couple of kinks to work out of the clusters (no clue how to make 'em flatter) but should have something up soon.

-M-

The further out you place the stars the dimmer you need to set their magnitudes. Otherwise you'll have a whole lot of very bright stars as a result. As far as making the cluster shapes flat, that's a hit and miss process with the controls. I still haven't figured that one out. I wish Rasillon was still around to update it so it'll work on Vista 64.

[TheShadow1138]

HI everyone, I'm new to the boards, and just discovered this thread. I actually started working on this project around the time that this thread was started. I have placed the vast majority of star systems from The Essential Atlas using Autodesk Maya 2008 and some MEL scripts I wrote, and Wookieepedia to check the types of stars in each system. If no type was specified I have assumed a G2V star like the Sun. I have also used only Absolute Magnitudes on the star definitions. Below is a screenshot of the maya file I made to place the stars. I have also begun to place the planets around the stars, and have pretty much finished the Deep Core region of the Galaxy.

StarWarsGalaxy.jpg

[Sunchaser]

Just when I was getting the hang of it too!!! You'll have to let us know how its coming, or better yet, release ea. section (Deep Core, Inner Core, Colonies, etc.) Or (since you're more committed to accuracy on this one than me) release by sector (so that way you don't have gigantic size addon.)

At any rate, I'm sure what you've got is better than anything else I could achieve. But, here is something I just did w/ lunarcell...Enjoy





-M-

[TheShadow1138]

I will surely try to post an update every once in a while. I'm working by way outward from the Deep Core and have made it almost all the way through the Expansion Region. This leaves the Mid Rim, Outer Rim, Hutt Space, Hapes Cluster, the Unknown Regions, and the Chiss Ascendency. Right now I'm mainly working on getting the planets in the systems with multiple planets. You might be surprised at how many systems only mention one planet, but there are a lot that do only mention one, and some that mention 9 or more. I'm using textures that are somewhat generic for now with respect to the single-planet systems, but once I have the multi-planet systems done (these have more or less final textures using LunarCell), I'll go back through and double check the single-planet systems to finalize textures for them.

I may release the addon by region (Deep Core, Core, Colonies, Inner Rim, etc...), and maybe as a whole also, but I'm not sure at this point. I haven't checked the size of the addon yet. By the way, nice texture for Cholganna Sunchaser.

[Sunchaser]

I'd be willing to bet it will be quite large...

And thank you for your compliment (although, I still like the original version of it a little better.)

-M-

[TheShadow1138]

I have just uploaded a preview with a little over 100 systems. Most of the planets were featured in The Essential Guide to Planets and Moons, but were placed using The Essential Atlas. It was uploaded to the Motherlode today so I don't know when it will be available. I posted it under the title "Star Wars Galaxy Preview" using my username here. Most of the work on the full addon is done, I just have to go through and finalize textures on the systems with only one planet. Once that is done I will post the rest of the addon.

I should note that the preview is a fairly large download since I have all of the textures I have made thus far included. This will make the rest of the addon a more manageable download size.

Enjoy.

[Sunchaser]

Sweet. Can't wait to see it.

-M-

[TheShadow1138]

Just to give a heads up. The Star Wars Galaxy Preview addon is currently available for download on the Motherlode here:
http://www.celestiamotherlode.net/catalog/show_addon_details.php?addon_id=1525

Also, the full addon is completed and I will be uploading it soon. It contains 2020 star systems. Every system has the correct number of planets and moons, including the Ithor System's 69 outer planets and 565 moons orbiting those 69 planets. Any asteroid fields in the systems I have added are also included, with Byss, Alderaan, and Despayre being replaced by asteroid fields after their destruction. I may release the asteroids as a separate download since there are a lot of asteroids defined in the files. Any astronomical phenomenon described on Wookieepedia, I tried to duplicate (to varying degrees of success). The release will have a text file in it describing certain aspects of the addon that I feel need to be elaborated on, such as the dates of the destruction of Alderaan, Byss, and Despayre, the orbital positions of the planets of the Mustafar System, and the orbital characteristics of Abregado-rae and a few others.

When the full addon is uploaded and available, I will post the link here.

[Sunchaser]

To quote Shaggy, "Zoiks!" Quite the ambitionist! Sounds by far anything I could have hoped to achieve....Congrats!

-M-

[Fenerit]

! Thanks to share such big and detailed environment in which to place SW add-ons hereafter.

[W0RLDBUILDER]

I always thought M33 would be a good choice because it's close enough to M31 to be seen large in the sky.

Maybe M31 could be the main galaxy. According to Wookieepedia, the Star Wars galaxy has at least seven satellite galaxies orbiting it. Wikipedia says M31 has fourteen.
Wookieepedia article: http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/The_galaxy
Wikipedia entries on M31 and its satellite galaxies: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andromeda_Galaxy http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andromeda% ... e_galaxies

[Sunchaser]

Just downloaded it...very nice. How would I fix it so that it's in The Galaxy?

-M-

[TheShadow1138]

The problem with the alignment with M33 is being addressed. I had changed its position in my copy of Celestia 1.6.0, but have corrected it to a much more accurate 2.783 MLY. I have also corrected the rotation of the stars so that they all fall within Triangulum (M33). The corrections to the STC files are going along much quicker than I originally thought, so the entire addon including 250,000 "filler stars" should be ready soon. Unfortunately I will not be able to post the addon until after Christmas, but it will be posted sometime after Christmas. Also, I feel that I should note that in the full addon I will include all of the textures that I used since I used several default textures that may have been replaced by other users (an eventuality that I didn't consider before and because with the sheer number of moons and asteroids it would not be a trivial task to replace all of the textures by anyone that downloads this addon). These can be deleted by anyone that still used the default textures.

[t00fri]

The problem with the alignment with M33 is being addressed. I had changed its position in my copy of Celestia 1.6.0, but have corrected it to a much more accurate 2.783 MLY.

Your claim that a M33 distance of 2.783 MLY = 0.853 Mpc is much more accurate than my value of 2.814 MLY = 0.8627 Mpc in galaxies.dsc (Celestia 1.6.0) sounds a bit like a joke. From which scientific source did you take that claim??

Below I display the complete list of published scientific distance values for M33 in (Mpc) from the leading NED1D catalog of galaxy distances. This is the complete knowledge of mankind so to speak as to the M33 distance

http://nedwww.ipac.caltech.edu/level5/NED1D/ned1d.html

The M33 distance in units of [Mpc] is the 3rd numerical column in the table below. Multiply with 3.26167 to convert to [MLY]. The used methods are also indicated along with the scientific reference for each value. You will notice the considerable spread of results in the table!!!

No-one on this planet knows which value is the best (except YOU ). The value I used in galaxies.dsc is obtained as the average over these many individual values from NED1D.

That is the BEST possible estimate according to scientific methodology. Meaning that N independent measurements reduce the error by a factor of 1/sqrt(N)...

Code: Select all

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++distance[Mpc]++++++++++++++++++++++++++

M33, NGC 0598    23.83    0.35    0.583    Cepheids    2004ASPC..310...95B
M33, NGC 0598    24.47    0.11    0.783    Cepheids    2004ApJ...608...42S
M33, NGC 0598    24.47    0.13    0.783    Cepheids    2001ApJ...548..564W
M33, NGC 0598    24.50    0.05    0.794    Cepheids    1997ApJ...491...13K
M33, NGC 0598    24.52    0.14    0.802    Cepheids    2004MNRAS.350..243M
M33, NGC 0598    24.52    0.15    0.802    Cepheids    2002ApJ...565..959L
M33, NGC 0598    24.52    0.14    0.802    Cepheids    2002ApJ...565..959L
M33, NGC 0598    24.56    0.08    0.820    Cepheids    2001ApJ...553...47F
M33, NGC 0598    24.62    0.08    0.840    Cepheids    2001ApJ...553...47F
M33, NGC 0598    24.63    0.09    0.840    Cepheids    1991PASP..103..933M
M33, NGC 0598    24.64    0.06    0.847    Cepheids    2006ApJS..165..108S
M33, NGC 0598    24.64    0.09    0.847    Cepheids    1991ApJ...372..455F
M33, NGC 0598    24.70    0.13    0.871    Cepheids    2002A&A...389...19P
M33, NGC 0598    24.70    x.xx    0.871    Cepheids    1991MNRAS.250..438M
M33, NGC 0598    24.77    0.39    0.899    Cepheids    2002A&A...389...19P
M33, NGC 0598    24.83    0.12    0.925    Cepheids    2002A&A...389...19P
M33, NGC 0598    24.85    0.09    0.933    Cepheids    1997ApJ...491...13K
M33, NGC 0598    25.01    0.03    1.000    Cepheids    1997hipp.conf..629P
M33, NGC 0598    25.10    0.03    1.050    Cepheids    1997hipp.conf..629P
M33, NGC 0598    24.50    0.06    0.794    TRGB    2004MNRAS.350..243M       
M33, NGC 0598    24.54    0.06    0.809    TRGB    2005MNRAS.356..979M       
M33, NGC 0598    24.64    0.15    0.847    TRGB    2004A&A...423..925G
M33, NGC 0598    24.69    0.07    0.867    TRGB    2004AJ....128..224T
M33, NGC 0598    24.81    0.04    0.916    TRGB    2004ApJ...608...42S
M33, NGC 0598    24.81    0.13    0.916    TRGB    2004MNRAS.350..243M
M33, NGC 0598    24.81    0.04    0.916    TRGB    2002AJ....123..244K
M33, NGC 0598    24.99    0.04    0.995    TRGB    2002AJ....123..244K
M33, NGC 0598    24.86    0.11    0.938    PNLF    2004ApJ...614..167C
 M33, NGC 0598    24.59    x.xx    0.828    Tully-Fisher   2003astro.ph.10284R
 M33, NGC 0598    25.05    x.xx    1.020    Tully-Fisher    LEDA [April 2006]
 M33, NGC 0598    24.32    x.xx    0.730    PM    2005Sci...307.1440B
M33, NGC 0598    24.52    x.xx    0.800    Maser    2004ApJ...615..702A
M33, NGC 0598    24.67    0.08    0.859    RR Lyrae    2006AJ....132.1361S
M33, NGC 0598    24.71    x.xx    0.875    RR Lyrae    1992MmSAI..63..331L
M33, NGC 0598    24.76    0.04    0.895    Red Clump    2002AJ....123..244K    
M33, NGC 0598    24.80    0.14    0.912    Red Clump    2004MNRAS.350..243M    
M33, NGC 0598    24.80    0.04    0.912    Red Clump    2002AJ....123..244K
M33, NGC 0598    24.4     0.20    0.760    Mira/LPV    1990ApJ...349..503M
M33, NGC 0598    24.85    0.13    0.930    Mira/LPV    2000MNRAS.313..271P


Fridger

[TheShadow1138]

Sorry for the long delay in updates.

I have run into some difficulties getting the add-on posted on the Motherlode. I have uploaded it twice and it has been rejected twice, but I have uploaded it a third time so hopefully it will get posted. When it is finally posted I will post here to let everyone know. Again, sorry for the delay.

I would also like to address my previous statements concerning the "much more accurate" distance for M33. I did not mean to imply that it is the most scientifically accurate distance as I am well aware that measuring distances to galaxies can yield many varying results depending on the methods used, especially with the possibility that Type Ia supernovae may not have a uniform brightness. When I made the statement that my distance figure was "much more accurate", I meant that it was much more accurate than the value for the distance that I had initially changed it to on my copy of Celestia. Also, just to note, I used the Tully catalogue value for the distance to M33. As far as star placement goes altering the "Distance" parameter by either adding or subtracting the difference in the value I used for the distance to M33, and the distance that anyone who downloads the add-on used for the distance to the "Distance" parameter in the .stc files will give better alignment of the systems and the galaxy.

If there are any questions or concerns just let me know.