Star charting and the perils of being a sff writer

[Jo Zebedee]

When I google how to make a star chart it wants to tell me how to get my kids to sit on a potty. I've done that. I know those type of charts.

But if I wanted to make a chart of the star systems in a book - is there software? Is there something downloadable I can do that on? Anyone know?

 

[Michael Colton]

Cartes du Ciel is the one that springs to mind immediately because I have a couple friends that use it. But I do not know much about alternatives or how good it is, I have not used it.

 

[Jo Zebedee]

Cartes du Ciel is the one that springs to mind immediately because I have a couple friends that use it. But I do not know much about alternatives or how good it is, I have not used it.

That looks like the sort of thing I was after. Thanks! I will now fight the laws of physics vs my imagination....

 

[Michael Colton]

Bah, physics. Mathematics. Humbug and other such dismissive sounds.

Despite getting good marks in physics, math, and statistics, I have to send my ideas to friends so they can tell me whether things are possible or not. It's just not my radar. What do you mean I can't have a space catapult mounted on a rocket propelled moon? Shenanigans!

 

[Venusian Broon]

Ta, Michael. May well have a look at this and see what it does, as I am still dithering on my next writing major writing project.

I think I am going to have to flip the septim I have at home to decide which one to start some basic research. So if that comes up 'Tiberius' then I'll be doing a story that involves a generation ship flying to some (as of yet unspecified star) a good couple of hundred light years away at least. Will need a good gawk around the neighbourhood of course - which hopefully the program can provide.

 

[Michael Colton]

I think I am going to have to flip the septim I have at home to decide which one to start some basic research.

I read that as 'flip the septum.'

 

[Venusian Broon]

I read that as 'flip the septum.'

The portrait of Tiberius Septim on the coin has quite a big conk, so you are effectively flipping his nasal septum, I suppose

 

[Ray McCarthy]

Cartes du Ciel

It seems not too bad, one other I looked at is terrible. Celestia is also free and quite usable.
There is another one I used to use, but I'll have to go boot up an old PC with it as I can't remember or find it.
Orbitron is best for items in Earth Orbit.

 

[goldhawk]

Do you mean the stars as seen from Earth? Try Stellarium or Celestia.

If you mean planets around another star, I don't know of any software to help. But so far, the exoplanets found so far by astronomers far exceeds their imaginations.

 

[Jo Zebedee]

No, not around Earth - I have a fearsome editor who'd like a starchart at the front of a book (Bujold does it) to illustrate my imaginary system. So I need a simplistic chart that could be copied into a word document.

 

[Ursa major]

I read that as 'flip the septum.'

Now that's what I call having a nose for a story....

 

[ralphkern]

Grumble giving me flashbacks to when I had to plot where the ship in Endeavour went. Easy when it was Sol to a Star A, more difficult to figure distances between Star A and Star B.

 

[Ray McCarthy]

Try Stellarium

Ah, that was the one that needed x10 computing power, horrid interface and you need OpenGL2.x or later or it's pig slow.
Celestia and Cartes du Ciel work on ordinary computers for ordinary people. I wish I had the one I used to use.

At first @springs I thought you were getting into Astrology.

 

[Michael Colton]

If it's good enough for the Reagans...

 

[psychotick]

Hi,

"When I google how to make a star chart it wants to tell me how to get my kids to sit on a potty."

I read this and was immediately confused - and maybe a little grossed out. Is this like reading tea leaves - except not tea?

Cheers, Greg.

 

[Jo Zebedee]

Hi,

"When I google how to make a star chart it wants to tell me how to get my kids to sit on a potty."

I read this and was immediately confused - and maybe a little grossed out. Is this like reading tea leaves - except not tea?

Cheers, Greg.

Heee. No. Parents give their children stars for being clever and sitting on the potty or eating their tea or doing all manner of civilised things. Then the kids put them on the chart and claim a prize at the end, thus introducing understanding of capitalism. I'm afraid neither me nor my kids could be bothered with such things....

 

[Jo Zebedee]

Sorry, back to this. None of these do what I'm looking for. What I want is to put a chart of my imaginary star system into the front of my book. It doesn't have to be hugely detailed. Are there any art apps or word features that would allow me to draw into a word document?

 

[HareBrain]

You can paste directly from Photoshop or similar into Word.

 

[Jo Zebedee]

Does Photoshop allow free hand drawing? Or can I make a picture there? The charts are simple - it"s just getting them onto a doc I'm not sure about. But I don't have a photo of them.

 

[HareBrain]

I've got an old copy of Photoshop Elements that allows free hand drawing, so I guess any version will.