SGC, a 3 Dimensional Galactic Coordinate System

SGC Intro What is SGC?
(read this first)
Table of Contents
 The SGC System - Table of Contents
Excel spreadsheets; calculator, database and Navigator
you may request by sending an email to

 

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NEW! - Mission Profile Navigator - version 4.0
Release date Coming soon. Dbase is 50% populated as of July 13, 2009.
    Purpose: To create a combo navigational tool and printable report for a mission profile from any star, star cluster, other galactic objects to any other or to rendezvous with a moving 2nd starship.

    Inputs
  1. Start and Destination inputs are separate settings (4000+ dbase auto entry options)
  2. Switchable inputs modes: [X,Y,Z] or [RA, dec and distance]
  3. Annual Shifts for destination in X, Y and Z (pulled from dbase or use manual entry)
  4. Stellar proper motion
  5. Angle of proper motion
  6. Stellar Km/sec approach or recession
  7. Variable start date 1/1/1900 to 12/31/9999
  8. Variable sensor range setting - Show which stars, within the sensor range, are passed by during the mission.
  9. Variable top speed
  10. Time to top speed
 		Mission Profile Navigator - 4.0   -   (11 MB)   If you want to try this calculator, send an email to: and I'll send you the spreadsheet.
    Macros
  2. Dbase browse and commit buttons that are separate for Start and Destination
  3. Dbase auto entry of over 1400 stars, galactic objects, extra solar planets
  4. Sort Dbase by; Name, Distance, Sector, Star Type, Earth Habitable Zone Probability, Closest Extra Solar Planets
  5. Set Start stellar positions to adjust known proper motion shifts to today's date based on Epoch 2000
  6. Set Start stellar positions to any other date between 1/1/1900 and 12/31/9999
  7. Switch between using X, Y, Z coordinates or Right Ascension, declination and distance for starting position and destination separately.
  8. 14 ship types based on real physics with estimated Specific Impulse
  9. Star Trek Warp drive speeds 2 to 9.99
  10. Recalculate Sensor Report - updates report of stars that come within the sensor range
  11. Sort Sensor Report by; First in sensor range, Closest approach to star or rendezvous starship, Last in sensor range, Time in sensor range or Distance at mission start.
  12. Switch Mission profile for Rendezvous or for Fly-By at top speed.
  13. Switch Destination as Star or as Starship
  14. Transfer Mission Profile to 2nd Starship and then calculate rendezvous.
  15. Zoom buttons
  16. Show Guide
  17. Print Mission Profile
  18. Search dbase start and destination positions
    Help Pop-ups and auto warnings - Throughout Mission Profile Navigator page.

    Corrections
  • Multiple math issues, found and fixed. This means pervious version will disagree with the new current version.
    Depreciated Features from earlier versions
  • 3D chart from SGC Mission Profile Navigator 1.0 - (There was no method to make connecting lines between start position and destination. It was only possible to show bar tower for Start and Destination. A Java or Flash version would work better.)
    Outputs - Main Console
  1. Heads-up charts XY plane and YZ plane showing course vectors
  2. Earth time for the mission versus dilated Ship time due to extreme fast sub-light speeds
  3. New dial type Speedometer - percent of light speed
  4. Bar graph sensor range
  5. XYZ start position (automatically resolved from Right Ascension, declination and distance)
  6. Start and destination sectors. (8 possible sectors and Border Zone)
  7. Real distance from Earth for Start Position and Destination at Rendezvous
  8. Corrected RA, dec course headings from Start Position to Destination Rendezvous
  9. Corrected distance to destination rendezvous
  10. G force for acceleration / deceleration
  11. Corrected XYZ for real arrival coordinates
  12. Total distance of Destination Star or starship approach or recession during mission
  13. Earth and relativistic ship arrival times and dates to rendezvous
  14. Coasting time (Earth and Ship time)
  15. Retro-burn commence date, if profile is a rendezvous mission (Earth and Ship time)
  16. Percent of time slowing onboard ship during mission
  17. XYZ annual shifts of position for destination
  18. Destination's actual speed
  19. Ship Type readout
  20. Link to a detailed Mission Profile report printout
    Output - Stellar Dbase
  1. Names, Stellar types, Absolute Magnitude, Sector, Distance, rank from Earth, Earth Habitable Zone probability of Earthlike planet, Extra Solar Planets
  2. Dbase includes: fairly complete star listings to 50 light years, extra-solar planet systems, probability percentages for systems with Earth Habitable Zones, main visible stars beyond 50 light years, notable star clusters, nova remnants, galactic borders of arms, Milkyway center, galactic neighborhood out to the Whirlpool Galaxy - 45M light years.
  3. Search functions
    Output - Sensor Range Report
  1. Warning of close fly-by
  2. Warning if incomplete Stellar Proper Motion data for each star, individually, within sensor range
  3. First in sensor range (Earth and Ship time)
  4. Closest approach (Earth and Ship time)
  5. Last in sensor range (Earth and Ship time)
  6. Time within range (Ship time)
  7. Distance at Start
    Ability to plot a rendezvous mission between two starships
  1. Plot starship #2 first.
  2. Enter 2nd starship mission data as destination starship and plot 1st starship to rendezvous. Results will show when and where the 1st starship will be able to rendezvous with the 2nd, even if it is mid-mission for the 2nd starship.
    Calculation Features
  1. Distance traveled during mission will change how far a star will travel, if the star has complete proper motion data.
  2. Real coordinates - Arrival to destination is adjusted for a star that has proper motion.
  3. Automatic warnings, if a passing star gets too close.
  4. Rendezvous coordinates has two orders of adjustment which allow accuracy to be less than 1% for most missions. (Stellar distance data accuracy is currently only about plus or minus 10%.) A slow ship rendezvous with a fast moving destination would cause a data error and is an exception. This type of mission creates a warning notice.
  5. All stars within sensor range and that have complete Proper Motion data will have their paths plotted to 200 mission points each. These points are used for the Sensor report data.
  6. Changes in any data that affect the mission profile results in a 'Recalculation is needed for the Sensor Report' warning.
  7. Right Ascension, declination and distance is translated into X, Y and Z coordinates with spherical trig.
  8. Stars with Proper Motion data are adjusted to their real positions first, as opposed to their apparent positions as viewed from Earth
  9. Annual shifts in the X, Y, and Z coordinates (XAS, YAS, ZAS) is calculated and then used to find correct real coordinates of arrival rendezvous. This means the rendezvous will shift, or may even not be possible, depending on the speed of the starship.
  10. Course Headings from Start Position to Destination Rendezvous will show headings even from a Start Position in mid-space.
  11. Setting a new start time will adjust all real positions for all stars with proper motion data. Attempting a mission profile to a star 1 year, 100 years or 1000 years from now will have different results than the same mission today.
  12. Extensive and accurate clock comparisons Earth versus Ship time slowed by near light speeds. Even acceleration and deceleration legs are factored in. Each acceleration / deceleration leg is divided into 1000 parts and sampled for time dilation.
  13. Imaginary Star Trek Warp speeds based on multiple light speeds from Star Trek online data. Earth Time data is still valid. Ship time data shows only time to Warp Speed.
  14. 8 Sectors defined by 3 axis are arbitrarily named and are unique to this project.
  15. X, Y, Z axis are based on Right Ascension & declination and do not match any Galactic coordinate systems
  16. Any mission longer than 81,000 years will show warnings that this time period is approximately 1 second of 1 degree of our Solar System's galactic orbit. Some errors will begin due to the galactic arc of our orbit.
  17. Overall margin of error is limited by the weakest data link, which is plus or minus 10% distance measurements to stars.
    18.

SGC Interstellar Distances.  Distances in light years from one star to another. The 77 closest stars  within 21 light years of SGC space.  A 236K Excel 97 spreadsheet. and I'll send you the spreadsheet.

Previous Versions

Click to enlarge
 SGC Galactic Tri-Coordinate Calculator version 2.0c
Earth Polar and Galactic Polar  Updates to version 1.0 include: Galactic X, Y, Z coordinates based on Epoch 2000 with options to switch to solutions based on today's date and other options.  Galactic RA and dec. and a XYZ to RA, dec converter. Comprehensive auto warnings and accuracy checking. RA seconds added. A 140K Excel 97 spreadsheet. and I'll send you the spreadsheet.
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SGC Mission Profile Navigator version 1.0

Version 1.0 Completed 1/2/2006

SGC Mission Profile Navigator 1.0:

    Purpose: To create a navigational tool to research mission profiles of various speeds to and between local stars. To include multiple real details of course headings and mission times. To show movement along mission course with various automatic charts and data updates. To incorporate previous Tri-Coordinate calculator and add RA and declination course headings. Also, to add an interactive database of stars within 50 light years of Earth. (1.8 MB).   If you want to try this calculator, send an email to: and I'll send you the spreadsheet.

    Inputs: (white cells only)

    1. Start Position and Destination are separate settings for any location
      • Input with coordinates X,Y,Z
      • Input using Right Ascension, declination and distance
      • Or auto input with the Stellar Dbase by star name of the nearest 970 stars
    2. Variable start date
    3. Switch stellar positions from using Epoch 2000 to using the current date
    4. Top Speed
      • Fractions of light speed direct entry
      • Enter speed by ship type
      • Warp Factors buttons (Star Trek) up to 9.99
    5. Time to top speed setting
    6. Stellar movement
      • Adjust Proper Motion manually
      • Adjust annual shifts in X, Y, Z coordinates based on proper motion either manually or automatically set from Stellar dbase, if the data is listed for that star
    7. Button Zoom controls
    8. Stellar Dbase controls
      • Sort stars by Name, Stellar Type, Sector or Distance
      • Browse through stars for starting position and destination. A separate commit button for each, will lock the star into the mission profile.

    Outputs
    1. Heads-up charts XY plane and YZ plane showing course vectors
    2. Mission Profile graph
    3. Interactive and rotating 3D Excel bar chart showing starting position and destination
    4. Star Position and destination data: X,Y,Z coordinates, distance from Earth and Galactic Sector.
    5. Course Headings in Mission Earth Polar based Right Ascension, declination (0-North to 180 degrees instead of 90 to -90 degrees)
    6. Distance traveled during mission is compensated for rendezvous with a star, if the star has proper motion
    7. G force during maximum acceleration
    8. Ship type list
    9. Real coordinates - Arrival to destination is compensated for a star that has proper motion
    10. Earth time for the mission versus time dilation Ship time due to extreme fast sub-light speeds
    11. Annual stellar shifts and speed of the destination star
    12. Mission Profile printout
    13. Automatic warnings
    14. Information tags, guide and glossary
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Flyby Sensor Calculator 1.0

Version 1.0 Completed 3/10/2007
This example shows a mission beginning at Coordinates 2,4,1 and 22 years ago.

Flyby Sensor Calculator 1.0

    Purpose: To create a navigational tool to find what stars pass within a variable sensor range during a mission. Compensate the destination star position for stellar proper motion so that the mission will rendezvous with the star, based on where the star is at the end of the mission. Show which stars are passed within sensor range, at what time the star first comes within sensor range, it's closest approach, when it's last within range, total time in range for Earth and Ship clocks. Also show warnings if any star system passes too close to the mission course. Show how far other stars outside of the sensor range pass but list them as outside the range. (25 MB).   If you want to try this calculator, send an email to: and I'll send you the spreadsheet.

    Inputs: (white cells only)

    1. Start Position and Destination are separate settings for any location
      • Input with coordinates X,Y,Z
      • Variable start date
      • Variable sensor range
      • Top Speed
        • Fractions of light speed direct entry
      • Time to top speed setting
      • Stellar movement
        • Adjust Proper Motion manually
        • Adjust annual shifts in X, Y, Z coordinates based on proper motion
      • Button Zoom controls

    Outputs
    1. Heads-up charts XY plane and YZ plane showing course vectors
    2. Distance traveled during mission is compensated for rendezvous with a star, if the star has proper motion
    3. Real coordinates - Arrival to destination is compensated for a star that has proper motion
    4. Earth time for the mission versus time dilation Ship time due to extreme fast sub-light speeds
    5. Automatic warnings if a passing star gets too close.
    6. Stars that pass within range are sorted to the top of a dbase.
    7. Star types
    8. When the star first comes within range for Earth and Ship Clocks.
    9. The closest distance and approach times.
    10. When the star is last in sensor range.
    11. The time the star is within sensor range.
    12. The rank of the star compared to others.
    13. Sorting by various columns.

Last updated: March 10, 2007  |