We launch the final leg of Celebration of Early Astronomy 7 by departing from the first ever discovered black hole, and headed towards the first of another type of stellar corpse, LGM-1, which is both the first ever discovered neutron star, and first discovered pulsar.

• Anchors
  • Main Waypoints
  • Additional Waypoints

Dates

Start Date: March 9, 2025
End Date: March 23, 2025

Distances

Basecamp Line: 3,518.20 Ly
Main Waypoints: 6,822.46 Ly
Optional Waypoints: 7,890.99 Ly

Map, (click for full size):

Basecamp: LGM-1
Mid-Leg Event: QZ Vulpeculae

Main Waypoints

• Map References quick reference list, more details below
  • KOI 4939
  • HD 188504
  • QZ Vulpeculae
  • CSI+19-20105
  • HD 343965
  • LGM-1

Main Waypoints Details

• Map Reference: KOI 4939
  • POI: Kepler-486b (False positive exoplanet)
  • This is a bit of a different one for CEA. KOI 4939.01 also known as Kepler-486b is actually NOT a real exoplanet. It was later discovered in 2016 to be a false positive. This highlights the importance of the scientific process in astronomy and confirming observations by peer review and additional observations.
  • Caltech NASA Exoplanet Archive Link
  • EDSM Link
• Map Reference: HD 188504
  • POI: Platais 10 Cluster
  • HD 188504 is a binary star system and a member of the Platais 10 star cluster, an open cluster in the area.
  • SIMBAD Link
  • EDSM Link
• Map Reference: QZ Vulpeculae
  • Discovered by the Ginga telescope in April 1988 when it produced an X-ray nova caused by matter falling in from it’s K class companion into the black hole classified as GS 2000+25. In 3308 it is found to also contain some other bodies, including a terrestrial planet with ammonia based life.
  • SIMBAD Link
  • EDSM Link
• Map Reference: CSI+19-20105
  • POI: NGC 6886
  • NGC 6886 is a planetary nebula discovered by Ralph Copeland in 1884. It is located in the Sagitta constellation region of the sky. The central star is a post-AGB star with 55% of the Sun’s mass, but 2700 ± 850 times its luminosity. The nebula is thought to have been expanding for between 1,280 to 1,600 years.
  • SIMBAD Link
  • EDSM Link
• Map Reference: HD 343965
  • HD 343965, also known as HIP 94327 is a blue-white B class main sequence star in the Vulpecula constellation of the sky.
  • SIMBAD Link
  • EDSM Link
• Map Reference: LGM-1
  • LGM-1, officially designated as PSR B1919+21 is the first ever discovered pulsar in 1967 by Jocelyn Bell Burnell. It is also the first ever discovered pulsar as well since it is a neutron star of the pulsar variety. Due to the nature of pulsars as a repeating radio source not being a known phenomenon at the time, it was at first thought to be a signal from an alien intelligence. Originally named LGM-1 standing for “Little Green Men” because of that assumption. Later observation into it led to the discovery of pulsars and their nature.
  • SIMBAD Link
  • EDSM Link

Additional Waypoints

• Map References quick reference list, more details below
  • KOI 4939
  • HD 188504
  • QZ Vulpeculae
  • Thailoe UO-A e4
  • CSI+19-20105
  • Traikeou OR-W b5-0
  • HD 343965
  • LGM-1

Optional Waypoints Details

• Map Reference: Thailoe UO-A e4
  • AKA: Existence in Desolation
  • This system harbors an extremely rare ringed Earth-like moon orbiting a ringed Y-class dwarf star. What’s more, this planet exhibits many rarities, such as very high ice content (88.9%), high argon content in its atmosphere (43.4%), very low density (2.292 g/cm^3), and zero orbital eccentricity. Further, the system’s primary star is an A2 VAB — this planet represents the very first Earth-like found around this type of star. A2 stars in general are quite disagreeable to the formation of Earth-like planets (thanks to their short lifespans and high radiation), so very few have been found around them.
    
    What’s especially appealing about this world is the low concentration of stars in its vicinity, thanks to its location 800 light years below the galactic plane, on the Orion-Cygnus Arm. This produces unobstructed, scenic views of the galactic plane on one side, and the inky black on the other. Thus the name: this planet affords life in a region of scarcity and desolation. For explorers looking to visit this world, it lies just under 9,000 light years away from Sol, making it quite accessible.
  • EDSM Link
• Map Reference: Traikeou OR-W b5-0
  • POI: Goliath’s Rest Stop
  • A scenic stopping location near the hyper-luminous Traikeou Goliaths. Planet C 3 is an earth-like world with a moon orbiting at no more than 0.1 light-seconds. Terrific and varied views are possible due to the 60 degree orbital inclination of the moon. If you arrive at the right time, the Traikeou nebula can also be observed while admiring the earth-like world. A water world with a moon just as close can also be found, but the water world is both smaller and less colorful. An ammonia world rounds out the collection of life types.
  • EDSM Link

For the first leg of Celebration of Early Astronomy 7 we set off from the Thethys system and as a warm-up tour some of the nearby sights to the human populated bubble, included the first exoplanet discovered around a main-sequence star, as well as various nebulae, a pulsar, and a nova!

Since we are staying near the bubble, no worries in case you accidentally forgot something before departing, or need to alter something on your ship build. We are basically going around the bubble counter-clockwise starting in the east. The furthest we get from Sol on this particular leg is 657 Ly, so will always be quite easy to pop back in to a nearby populated system.

• Anchors
  • Main Waypoints

Dates

Start Date: January 19, 2025
End Date: January 26, 2025

Distances

Basecamp Line: 710.60 Ly
Main Waypoints: 2,328.29 Ly

Map, (click for full size):

Basecamp: Nova Aquila No 3

Main Waypoints

• Map References quick reference list, more details below
  • Thethys
  • 51 Pegasi
  • HIP 62270
  • Sheron
  • HR 6387
  • Snake Sector PD-S b4-1
  • PSR J1856-3754
  • Nova Aquila No 3

Main Waypoints Details

• Map Reference: Thethys
  • POI: GL 135 & AB Doradus Moving Group
  • GL 135, known in 3310 as Thethys, is one of the stars in the AB Doradus Moving Group, a group of 30 stars that are moving through space together with similar age and composition due to being formed in the same stellar nursery. AB Doradus is the primary star of the AB Doradus moving group, hence the name. This particular moving group, being roughly 20 parsecs from Sol is the closest known co-moving group to Sol.
  • SIMBAD Link
  • EDSM Link
• Map Reference: 51 Pegasi
  • POI: 51 Pegasi b
  • 51 Pegasi b, officially named Dimidium, discovered in 1995 was the first exoplanet discovered orbiting a main-sequence star. (First exoplanets were discovererd in orbit of PSR J1300+1240 (which is also in-game))
    
    It is the prototype planet for the class of planets called “hot Jupiters” due to their proximity to their parent stars. 51 Pegasi b orbits at 0.05 AU, closer to its parent star than Mercury does the sun.
    
    The 2019 Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded to Didier Queloz, and Michel Mayor in part for their discovery of 51 Pegasi b.
    
    The planet was officially named Dimidium after a public nomination and voting process by the IAU, the winning name Dimidium, meaning “half” in Latin refers to the planet’s mass, which is roughly half that of Jupiter.
  • SIMBAD Link
  • EDSM Link
• Map Reference: HIP 62270
  • POI: Coalsack Nebula
  • The Coalsack Nebula is a dark nebula, visible to the naked eye as obscuring parrt of the Milky Way in the Crux constellation region of the sky. It covers a rectangle about 7 degrees by 5 degrees in the sky, and extends partially into the Centaurus and Musca regions of the sky as well.
    
    The first reported observation of it was by Vicente Yáñez Pinzón in 1499.
  • SIMBAD Link
  • EDSM Link
• Map Reference: Sheron
  • POI: IC 4604, Rho Ophiuchi Cloud Complex
  • IC 4604, also known as the Rho Ophiuchi cloud complex is roughly 460 lightyears from our solar system centered in the sky around the star Rho Ophiuchi (albeit further from us than Rho Ophiuchi), and one of the closest star-froming regions to our solar system. It consists of the star-forming cloud L1688 and various filament clouds known as the Dark River clouds.
    
    Additionally in this system Sheron, there is a megaship worth scanning with some lore logs related to humanity’s history with the Thargoids.
  • SIMBAD Link
  • EDSM Link
• Map Reference: 5 Rho Ophiuchi
  • POI: Rho Ophiuchi
  • Rho Ophicuhi, aka 5 Ophicuhi is a multi-star system in the Ophiuchus constellation. The main pair Rho Ophiuchi AB consists of two blue subgiants. Rho Ophiuchi A emits X-rays with strong variability, however the cause of these is not known. Leading hypothesis are a magnetically active surface spot, or a low mass companion it feeds material from that we haven’t been able to distinguish apart from it.
    
    Additionally HD 147932, designated Rho Ophiuchi C is located roughly 17,000 AU (8.5 million lightseconds) from the AB pair (in-game it’s not that far, however this is due to that measurement being published in 2013 after galactic generation).
    
    Further there is also the Rho Ophiuchi DE pair, which are not represented in-game due to publication in 2013 in the same observations as the distance measurement for Rho Ophicuhi C.
  • SIMBAD Link
  • EDSM Link
• Map Reference: HR 6387
  • POI: Pipe Nebula
  • The Pipe Nebula, aka Barnard 59 is a dark nebula in the Ophiuchus constellation shaped like a smoking pipe. It consists of two parts, the Pipe Bowl Nebula and the Pipe Stem Nebula. It is part of the larger Dark Horse Nebula.
  • SIMBAD Link
  • EDSM Link
• Map Reference: PSR J1856-3754
  • POI: Coronet Pulsar
  • The Coronet Pulsar, cataloged as RX J1856.5-3754 and PSRJ1856-3754 is the closest known neutron star to our own solar system. It was hypothesized for a time to be a “quark star” a still hypothetical star type called a quark star because of early measurements erroneously gauging it as having a surface temperature of 700,000 Celsius. Later measurements more accurately showed a surface temperature of 434,000 Celsius, allowing it to fit back within the models for neutron stars.
  • SIMBAD Link
  • EDSM Link
• Map Reference: Snake Sector PD-S b4-1
  • POI: Snake Nebula
  • The Snake Nebula, aka Barnard 72 is another dark nebula in the Ophiuchus constellation of the sky. It is a small but visible s-shaped dust alne near the Pipe Nebula. It is part of the larger Dark Horse Nebula.
  • SIMBAD Link
  • EDSM Link
• Map Reference: Nova Aquila No 3
  • POI: Nova Aquila 1918
  • V603 Aquilae, aka Nova Aquilae 1918 aka Nova Aquila No 3, was a bright nova observed in 1918. It was the brightest nova to appear since Kepler’s Supernova in 1604. It is a white dwarf in a close binary with its companion red dwarf orbiting each other every 3 hours and 20 mintues. (although in game it is inaccurately a neutron star).
    
    Was first seen by Zygmunt Laskowski, and confirmed by Grace Cook on June 8th 1918, it reached peak magnitude of -0.5, and was briefly the third brightest object in the sky, only dimmer than Sirius and Canopus. This is the brightest nova in the era of telescopes.
    
    The nova event itself is what occurs when the white dwarf has sucked enough material off of it’s companion star to fill it’s Roche Lobe. Once the Roche Lobe has filled, it explodes in a massive thermonuclear explosion, which forms a bright expanding shell. Another nova is expected in the imminent future from T Corona Borealis, scientist were expecting it in the latter half of 2024, but it has not occured yet as of writing this, but is expected quite literally, any day now.
  • SIMBAD Link
  • EDSM Link

As we head out away from NGC 3590, we make our way out and through the Eta Carina Nebula as we make our way further east through the Carina constellation of the night sky.

Dates

Start Date: January 14, 2024
End Date: January 21, 2024

Distances

Basecamp Line: 3,939.90 Ly
Main Waypoints: 4,754.95 Ly

Map, (click for full size):

Basecamp: GCRV 6493

Main Waypoints

• Map References quick reference list, more details below
  • Statue of Liberty Sector LC-V c2-12
  • x Carinae
  • V405 Carinae
  • Eta Carinae
  • Eta Carina Sector JH-V c2-9
  • GCRV 6493

Main Waypoints Details

• Map Reference: Statue of Liberty Sector LC-V c2-12
  • POI: Statue of Liberty Nebula
  • Statue of Liberty Nebula, also known as NGC 3576 is an emission nebula within the Carina constellation area of the night sky. It was discovered by Sir John Frederick William Herschel in 1834. It was additionally named the Statue of Liberty Nebula in 2009 by Dr. Steve Mazlin.
  • SIMBAD Link
  • EDSM Link
• Map Reference: x Carinae
  • x Carinae, also known as V382 Carinae is a G class yellow hypergiant star in the Carina constellation of the night sky. It is the brightest yellow hypergiant in the night sky, easily visible to the naked eye. It is roughly 6200 lightyears from our own solar system, 200,000 times as luminous as our sun, and around 500 times the radius of the Sun.
  • SIMBAD Link
  • EDSM Link
• Map Reference: V405 Carinae
  • POI: NGC 3293
  • NGC 3293 is an open cluster discovered by Nicolas-Louis de Lecaille in 1751. It contains more than 100 stars brighter than 14th magnitude, some of the brightest of are blue supergiants.
  • SIMBAD Link
  • EDSM Link
• Map Reference: Eta Carinae
  • Eta Carinae is a star system containing at least two known starts, and has a combined luminosity greater than five million times brighter than our Sun. It is roughly 7,500 lightyears from our solar system in the Cairna constellation section of the night sky. In 1837 is brightened to become brighter than Rigel. It then became the second brightest star in the night sky for a few days inMarch 1843 before beginning to fade down again, going below naked eye visibility levels in 1856. It had another short brightening period in 1892 before fading again. It has though since 1940 been brightening consistently and has become a 4.5 magnitude star since 2014.
    
    The brightness eruptions of this star are unqieu to it and no other anlogues to this behaviour are currently known in any galaxy. The cause of the eruptions is also not known, some hypotheses include one of the stars having mass transfer to the main star on close orbital passes (perriastron passage), or possibly the merging of two very large stars into a single larger star.
  • SIMBAD Link
  • EDSM Link
• Map Reference: Eta Carina Sector JH-V c2-9
  • POI: Eta Carina Nebula
  • NGC 3372, also known as the Carina Nebula is a large nebula in the Carina-Sagittarius arm of the galaxy, approximately 8,500 lightyears from Earth. Within it is the Carina OB1 association and several open clusters including Trumpler 14 and Trumpler 16. It is one of the largest diffuse nebulae in our night sky. While it is four times as large as and brighter than the Orion Nebula it is less well known due to being in the southern sky. It was discovered in 1752 by Nicolas-Louis de Lacaille.
  • SIMBAD Link
  • EDSM Link
• Map Reference: GCRV 6493
  • POI: NGC 3211
  • NGC 3211 is a small blue planetary nebula around the star GCRV 6493 in the Carina constellation of the night sky. It was discovered by Sir John Frederick William Herschel in 1837
    
    There is reportedly Notable Stellar Phenomena in this system containing anomalies.
  • SIMBAD Link
  • EDSM Link