Project "Celestia Origin", release dated April 30, 2019

[Art Blos]

I worked with Croc on LUT 5 and I have a modified VIDIBA module.

I propose to discuss everything and decide together how to proceed further. Please reply in private messages.

[Lafuente_Astronomy]

I remind that you can not only wait for something, but also advise what you would like to see in the new version. I speak just in case, exoplanetary base is planned.

Alright. I can give you some suggestions:

1: toutais has released a few new spacecraft since the release, as well as an update of the Gaia Satellite. You can get those in to Version 9.

2: fyr02 has made some good exoplanet textures. Perhaps they can be included as well.

3: Sirius_Alpha's Exoplanet Catalog is a must-add as well. It greatly increases the number of exoplanets in Celestia, and he is trying his best to make it as accurate as possible.

4: I cannot suggest this for the next release because it might take a really long time but I'm currently working on improving the starnames.dat file by adding the Working Group of Star Names names given to stars by the IAU since 2016, names from Stellarium, members of the General Catalog of Variable Stars with HIP identifiers, members of the Gliese, Gliese-Jahreiß and Woolley Catalog of Near Stars, members of the Bright Star Catalog and members of the Wolf-Rayet Catalog. I'm also looking for more catalogs to add their identifiers to, and as such, it may take a really long time. I'm also adding names because should the developers finally perfect and finish the astrodb branch of Celestia 1.7.0, I may be able to add names to even more stars due to the new astrodb's allowance of naming stars with Gaia Identifiers.

Those are all my suggestions for now

[LukeCEL]

4: I cannot suggest this for the next release because it might take a really long time but I'm currently working on improving the starnames.dat file by adding the Working Group of Star Names names given to stars by the IAU since 2016, names from Stellarium, members of the General Catalog of Variable Stars with HIP identifiers, members of the Gliese, Gliese-Jahreiß and Woolley Catalog of Near Stars, members of the Bright Star Catalog and members of the Wolf-Rayet Catalog. I'm also looking for more catalogs to add their identifiers to, and as such, it may take a really long time. I'm also adding names because should the developers finally perfect and finish the astrodb branch of Celestia 1.7.0, I may be able to add names to even more stars due to the new astrodb's allowance of naming stars with Gaia Identifiers.

I already have a starnames.dat file that contains GCVS designations. If it helps, you can work off of this one.

Actually, for the Bright Star Catalogue (HR), I think it'd be better to just treat those designations the same way we treat HD or SAO catalogues: with separate index files.

[Art Blos]

1: toutais has released a few new spacecraft since the release, as well as an update of the Gaia Satellite.

This is one of the scheduled tasks. But it is expected not only the addition of new spacecrafts, but the complete reassembly of all trajectories according to the new standards.

What about Gaia: I tried to add a new model in the eighth release, but for some reason the textures were not displayed. I decided not to risk it. I suppose that the resolution of textures is too large, or some other problems.

2: fyr02 has made some good exoplanet textures. Perhaps they can be included as well.

OK, the team will study them.

3: Sirius_Alpha's Exoplanet Catalog is a must-add as well. It greatly increases the number of exoplanets in Celestia, and he is trying his best to make it as accurate as possible.

That is what I meant when I wrote "exoplanetary base is planned". Sirius has already implemented some of my suggestions. I will give him time to add new planets and correct errors until the beginning of August, after which I will begin to implement the base in the Origin.

4: I cannot suggest this for the next release because it might take a really long time...

It really is. While we do not touch the names.

[Lafuente_Astronomy]

I already have a starnames.dat file that contains GCVS designations. If it helps, you can work off of this one.

Are the names based from the latest update of the GCVS Catalog: http://www.sai.msu.su/gcvs/gcvs/gcvs5/gcvs5.txt. ? The latest edition of the GCVS was on 2015 but its latest annotation was on April this year

But either way, thanks for making my hobby a lot easier. I'll just have to add the updated star names from the IAU Working Group on Star Names, the Gliese, GJ, Woolley, WR and Bright Star(HR) identifiers now, though if you know or have any catalogs that have HIP identifiers, is it ok if you can send them to me? Thanks in advance!

Actually, for the Bright Star Catalogue (HR), I think it'd be better to just treat those designations the same way we treat HD or SAO catalogues: with separate index files.

Well, I'll try to do just that. The same should also be done for Gaia Identifiers as well.

It really is. While we do not touch the names.

It's ok. I'll just modify it in my copy of Celestia Origin anyways.

[LukeCEL]

Are the names based from the latest update of the GCVS Catalog: http://www.sai.msu.su/gcvs/gcvs/gcvs5/gcvs5.txt. ? The latest edition of the GCVS was on 2015 but its latest annotation was on April this year

Indirectly. I actually extracted the names from SIMBAD, because I find that to be easier. However, I did this quite some time ago. It's possible, but I think unlikely, that more HIP stars were found to be variable.

Also, my copy is a bit inconsistent because I didn't plan on adding all of the IAU WGSN names, or the Gliese/GJ/Wo names. I did add some, because I wanted some exoplanet hosts to have names. It's a lot easier to define star names in starnames.dat instead of in STC files.

Well, I'll try to do just that. The same should also be done for Gaia Identifiers as well.

Whoops, when I said this I meant that the developers should program this in first, since currently Celestia only has hdindex.dat and saoindex.dat.

[Lafuente_Astronomy]

Whoops, when I said this I meant that the developers should program this in first, since currently Celestia only has hdindex.dat and saoindex.dat.

I know that. I'm waiting for the astrodb branch to be finished, and then there'll be GAIA identifiers.

Added after 2 minutes 35 seconds:

Also, my copy is a bit inconsistent because I didn't plan on adding all of the IAU WGSN names, or the Gliese/GJ/Wo names. I did add some, because I wanted some exoplanet hosts to have names. It's a lot easier to define star names in starnames.dat instead of in STC files.

It is much easier, provided they have HIP identifiers. Hopefully the new astrodb branch will include GAIA names in the starnames.dat file, thus allowing us to name stars with GAIA identifiers, and therefore, majority of the stars observed by Astronomy so far.

[Sirius_Alpha]

I'm waiting for the astrodb branch to be finished, and then there'll be GAIA identifiers. ... Hopefully the new astrodb branch will include GAIA names in the starnames.dat file, thus allowing us to name stars with GAIA identifiers, and therefore, majority of the stars observed by Astronomy so far.

Have you figured out how you're going to handle the fact that most stars will have four different Gaia identifiers?

[Lafuente_Astronomy]

Have you figured out how you're going to handle the fact that most stars will have four different Gaia identifiers?

Not entirely sure. Feel free to ask them. They may have been aware though.

[Art Blos]

Added "Venus Express" with full XYZV-trajectory.

[Lafuente_Astronomy]

Indirectly. I actually extracted the names from SIMBAD, because I find that to be easier. However, I did this quite some time ago. It's possible, but I think unlikely, that more HIP stars were found to be variable.

I checked the starnames.dat file you sent me. It does have a huge number of variable stars. But there are several that are not there. A few days ago, I added 2 variable stars from Cygnus, and as such, I'll be doing a sweep of the whole catalog to find missing GCVS stars with HIP identifiers and add them, whether it's just the names or the entire entry is not in the starnames.dat file.

Added after 5 hours 40 minutes:
In relation to that, this might help me in my sweep: http://vizier.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/VizieR-4

[Art Blos]

Added moon of the (31) Euphrosyne - S/2019 (31) I.

[MartinRogalski]

Great! I updated with this very late. Anyways thank you for sharing this over here.

[Art Blos]

Added "Mars Express" with full XYZV-trajectory around Mars.

[saludpulso]

Love the Mars express satellite

[Art Blos]

Added "BepiColombo".

[Art Blos]

Added improved model of the "Parker Solar Probe".

[Art Blos]

Added improved model of the "Gaia".

[Art Blos]

Added improved model of the "Sputnik 1".

[Art Blos]

Added improved model of the "Compton".