Steve Costa
@stevec72.bsky.social
I make digital things, and sometimes actual things.
Explore our stellar neighborhood in 3D: https://starcarta.app
Explore our stellar neighborhood in 3D: https://starcarta.app
There are 1100+ exoplanets within 200 light-years of us, explorable in Starcarta.app
Go check them out 🌌
Go check them out 🌌
Starcarta
Explore the stars and planets of our local 200ly space in 3D. Discover star systems, planets, and their unique features. Search for celestial objects and learn about their properties in Starcarta.
Starcarta.app
December 11, 2025 at 4:40 AM
There are 1100+ exoplanets within 200 light-years of us, explorable in Starcarta.app
Go check them out 🌌
Go check them out 🌌
Space telescopes launched in the past 20 years have been huge for discovering new exoplanets.
Kepler: Kepler-42
starcarta.app/o/CwNdx
TESS: GJ 357
starcarta.app/o/qDVk
GAIA: Gaia-5
starcarta.app/o/QXrzM
Kepler: Kepler-42
starcarta.app/o/CwNdx
TESS: GJ 357
starcarta.app/o/qDVk
GAIA: Gaia-5
starcarta.app/o/QXrzM
December 11, 2025 at 4:40 AM
Space telescopes launched in the past 20 years have been huge for discovering new exoplanets.
Kepler: Kepler-42
starcarta.app/o/CwNdx
TESS: GJ 357
starcarta.app/o/qDVk
GAIA: Gaia-5
starcarta.app/o/QXrzM
Kepler: Kepler-42
starcarta.app/o/CwNdx
TESS: GJ 357
starcarta.app/o/qDVk
GAIA: Gaia-5
starcarta.app/o/QXrzM
Doppler / Radial Velocity: 51 Pegasi b
starcarta.app/o/lrXM
Transit / Brightness: HAT-P-11 b
starcarta.app/o/GdMg
Astrometry: Epsilon Eridani b
starcarta.app/o/QmpD
starcarta.app/o/lrXM
Transit / Brightness: HAT-P-11 b
starcarta.app/o/GdMg
Astrometry: Epsilon Eridani b
starcarta.app/o/QmpD
December 11, 2025 at 4:40 AM
Doppler / Radial Velocity: 51 Pegasi b
starcarta.app/o/lrXM
Transit / Brightness: HAT-P-11 b
starcarta.app/o/GdMg
Astrometry: Epsilon Eridani b
starcarta.app/o/QmpD
starcarta.app/o/lrXM
Transit / Brightness: HAT-P-11 b
starcarta.app/o/GdMg
Astrometry: Epsilon Eridani b
starcarta.app/o/QmpD
Matt O'Dowd also described the major exoplanet detection methods. Here’s one example system discovered with each.
Direct Imaging: β Pictoris
starcarta.app/o/CWhtZ
Direct Imaging: β Pictoris
starcarta.app/o/CWhtZ
December 11, 2025 at 4:40 AM
Matt O'Dowd also described the major exoplanet detection methods. Here’s one example system discovered with each.
Direct Imaging: β Pictoris
starcarta.app/o/CWhtZ
Direct Imaging: β Pictoris
starcarta.app/o/CWhtZ
Sirius A & B ✨
The brightest star in the sky. No known planets, but it has a massive, super-hot white dwarf companion roughly Earth-sized: starcarta.app/o/WxDz
The brightest star in the sky. No known planets, but it has a massive, super-hot white dwarf companion roughly Earth-sized: starcarta.app/o/WxDz
December 11, 2025 at 4:40 AM
Sirius A & B ✨
The brightest star in the sky. No known planets, but it has a massive, super-hot white dwarf companion roughly Earth-sized: starcarta.app/o/WxDz
The brightest star in the sky. No known planets, but it has a massive, super-hot white dwarf companion roughly Earth-sized: starcarta.app/o/WxDz
The outer ring at 133 AU, is mostly composed of large amount of dust which glows in infrared light. Inside of it are multiple other dust and debris rings, and possibly, protoplanets - still forming 400 million years after Fomalhaut ignited.
Check it, and all the nearby stars out at starcarta.app
Check it, and all the nearby stars out at starcarta.app
Starcarta
Explore the stars and planets of our local 200ly space in 3D. Discover star systems, planets, and their unique features. Search for celestial objects and learn about their properties in Starcarta.
starcarta.app
November 13, 2025 at 1:36 AM
The outer ring at 133 AU, is mostly composed of large amount of dust which glows in infrared light. Inside of it are multiple other dust and debris rings, and possibly, protoplanets - still forming 400 million years after Fomalhaut ignited.
Check it, and all the nearby stars out at starcarta.app
Check it, and all the nearby stars out at starcarta.app
A very young star Fomalhaut actually forms a triple system with TW Piscis Austrini, and LP 876-10. It’s fairly close to us at 25 ly. One of it’s standout features is a fairly bright, multipart series of protoplanetary rings around it.
November 13, 2025 at 1:36 AM
A very young star Fomalhaut actually forms a triple system with TW Piscis Austrini, and LP 876-10. It’s fairly close to us at 25 ly. One of it’s standout features is a fairly bright, multipart series of protoplanetary rings around it.
Try it on 83 Leonis, a binary 59 ly away with two planets on the B star: starcarta.app/o/tQlX
October 11, 2025 at 1:39 AM
Try it on 83 Leonis, a binary 59 ly away with two planets on the B star: starcarta.app/o/tQlX
I actually have a brief thread on that here bsky.app/profile/stev.... I love when SciFi meets science.
So why do stars have multiple names like HD 122303, Gliese 536, HIP 68469, Luyten 979-36, or telephone book entries like Gaia DR1 3657653144944789504? Let's dig into it... starcarta.app?q=HD%20122303
(1/6) #space #starcarta #asronomy
(1/6) #space #starcarta #asronomy
October 10, 2025 at 12:55 AM
I actually have a brief thread on that here bsky.app/profile/stev.... I love when SciFi meets science.
1 AU Graph
Orbits can be hard to compare. Toggle a dotted circle at Earth’s orbit (1 AU) around stars to make comparisons easier. Helps show scale since stars give few clues about size. (4/4) Try it out at starcarta.app
Orbits can be hard to compare. Toggle a dotted circle at Earth’s orbit (1 AU) around stars to make comparisons easier. Helps show scale since stars give few clues about size. (4/4) Try it out at starcarta.app
September 26, 2025 at 12:25 AM
1 AU Graph
Orbits can be hard to compare. Toggle a dotted circle at Earth’s orbit (1 AU) around stars to make comparisons easier. Helps show scale since stars give few clues about size. (4/4) Try it out at starcarta.app
Orbits can be hard to compare. Toggle a dotted circle at Earth’s orbit (1 AU) around stars to make comparisons easier. Helps show scale since stars give few clues about size. (4/4) Try it out at starcarta.app
Tag Highlighting!
Click a Tag to highlight all Star Systems linked to it, then click a System name to travel there. Get a good perspective of the set in 3D space around us. (3/4)
Click a Tag to highlight all Star Systems linked to it, then click a System name to travel there. Get a good perspective of the set in 3D space around us. (3/4)
September 26, 2025 at 12:24 AM
Tag Highlighting!
Click a Tag to highlight all Star Systems linked to it, then click a System name to travel there. Get a good perspective of the set in 3D space around us. (3/4)
Click a Tag to highlight all Star Systems linked to it, then click a System name to travel there. Get a good perspective of the set in 3D space around us. (3/4)
First: Tags!
Add a tag to any star system to categorize it by feature (Gas Planets, Rings), multiplicity (Binary, Triple), or movie franchise (Alien, Star Trek, Dune). Anything you like! (2/4)
Add a tag to any star system to categorize it by feature (Gas Planets, Rings), multiplicity (Binary, Triple), or movie franchise (Alien, Star Trek, Dune). Anything you like! (2/4)
September 26, 2025 at 12:24 AM
First: Tags!
Add a tag to any star system to categorize it by feature (Gas Planets, Rings), multiplicity (Binary, Triple), or movie franchise (Alien, Star Trek, Dune). Anything you like! (2/4)
Add a tag to any star system to categorize it by feature (Gas Planets, Rings), multiplicity (Binary, Triple), or movie franchise (Alien, Star Trek, Dune). Anything you like! (2/4)
Whelp, time to see how the reboot is coming along then. youtube.com/@undergradst...
YouTube
Watch our attempt to resurrect UNDERGRADS, a long gone (but somehow not forgotten) cult, animated series in the form of a feature length film. Join creator Pete Williams as he shares the Good, the Bad, the Ugly - and the Boring Technical Stuff - on his epic journey to make an animated movie from his basement!
youtube.com
September 7, 2025 at 12:37 AM
Whelp, time to see how the reboot is coming along then. youtube.com/@undergradst...