The Hipparcos Space Astrometry Mission: The Millennium Star Atlas

The Millennium Star Atlas

Introduction

The Millennium Star Atlas is a three-volume compilation of 1548 sky charts resulting from a substantial collaboration between Sky Publication Corporation (represented by Roger W. Sinnott) and the European Space Agency and the Hipparcos scientific community (represented by Michael Perryman, Erik Høg, and Hans Schrijver).

The Atlas is a three-volume publication obtainable directly from [external link] Sky Publishing Corporation. In parallel it completes the 17-volume Hipparcos and Tycho Catalogue publication, ESA SP-1200, as Volumes 14-16.

The figure below is a composite of four sample pages from the Atlas. The figure is a pdf file: click on it to examine the pages in more detail.

The area delineated in red is shown in greater detail below, or can be accessed here.

Atlas Extract (pdf)

Further Explanation

The section highlighted in red in the figure above is shown below in more detail. Click on the stars highlighted in red to find out more detailed information about them - accessed directly on line via the Hipparcos and Tycho Catalogues.

In the Millennium Star Atlas, and in the extract below, high proper motion stars are shown with an arrowed line leading from the star in the direction of the star's motion on the sky - the length of the line is proportional to the size of the proper motion, and actually shows where the star will lie 1000 years from now!

Double and multiple systems are shown with tick marks indicating the position angle and the separation of the secondary component(s) with respect to the primary.

Variable stars are shown with a circle surrounding the star (solid, dashed, or dotted - depending on the amplitude of variability). Details of the star's variability type, variability period, and name are included (with some encoding!) in the Atlas.

Zoomed Region

Some Exercises

See the explanation of the symbols used for the Millennium Star Atlas given above or use the key to the symbols page. Can you identify the objects that are highlighted in red?

Try clicking on a high proper motion star, or a variable star, or a double system, and see whether you can extract the corresponding information from the Hipparcos and Tycho Catalogues, and annexes, entered through the relevant hyperlinks.

Try searching the catalogues on a range of positions covering this extract of the Millennium Star Atlas, and see if you can identify these highlighted stars from amongst those in the region you have searched. Narrow down the search region if you find too many stars. Check the search region, and your understanding of the coordinate system, if what you get back appears to be incorrect.

In the atlas extract, can you find:

the 10 brightest stars;
the closest 5 stars to our Sun;
the brightest double stars on each chart;
a multiple star system;
the highest proper motion star on each chart.

Use the visual keys to help you and then check the results by examining the catalogue entry for your stars. (You can get the catalogue entries from the search page).

If you have the Millennium Star Atlas here are some other stars you may be interested in looking for:

the 50 brightest stars in the Atlas;
the 20 closest stars to the Sun;
the brightest variable star of each class;
the 17 brightest double stars;
the top 20 high proper motion stars;