The joys of solstation.com

Recently, several extra-solar planets were discovered; that is, planets around stars other than our own. (Ex: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/08/120828190127.htm ) To one such system, we even sent a high-powered signal to see if we might get a response, although it will take many years for the signal to reach its destination.  In addition, our understanding of solar systems other than our own is advancing rapidly, and a lot of speculation about habitable systems has begun.

© Adrian Mann

Now, this really sparked my imagination. In terms of sheer potential, living on other planets has perhaps the most gravity with a science fiction audience, made all the more compelling now that it is a very real possibility. But if you want to talk about a day on an extra-solar planet, it might be good to do some research. This is where solstation.com comes in.

I discovered solstation because wikipedia articles on the star systems close to earth were inadequate.  There were a few essays on specific systems, but if you got stuck on the few destinations within 10 light years of earth, it was difficult to find distances, habitable zones, recent discoveries, star intensity and solar behavior all in one place.  But that is exactly what solstation.com does.  You can view 3D maps of the local galaxy, check lists of stars by distance in concentric spherical fashion, or look up a specific star for a lot of information on it and references to online papers about it. They also include an interactive 3D star map. A map like the one below clearly shows the shortest paths to different stars, or the shortest path to a likely habitable system and another, suggesting the likely paths that extra-solar colonization would take, if it happened.

If you find this a compelling subject, and I frankly can't understand how anyone wouldn't have at least a passing interest, solstation.com is your hookup.

-Forest F. White