Observing the sun.....with a difference!

[cajen2]

What would the sun look like if viewed from other solar systems? I found this article, giving its magnitude and location in the sky as seen from other systems. Fascinating! https://skyandtelescope.org/astronomy-blogs/explore-night-bob-king/see-the-sun-from-other-stars/

The article also shows how our familiar constellations would look in other skies.

Edited February 4, 2022 by cajen2

[Sunshine]

A great post, fascinating to read and see what the sun would look like from other distant stars. If the gentleman who wrote the article published a book with many such depictions looking as accurate as possible to actual night sky images with accompanying info for each depiction I would buy it!.

[Stu]

Interesting.

You can simulate this in SkySafari using the Orbit function. Just search for a target and the select Orbit rather than Centre. This seems to put you 100AU from the target, but you can adjust this down to 0km using the arrows on the right.

Then search for the Sun and Centre it. You can check it’s magnitude and see what the constellations look like too. The results match the Sky & Telescope article images which is fun.

[cajen2]

I bet the author of the article would be mortified to read this. He had to use complex maths to do the same thing! 😄

[Highburymark]

Thanks for posting this interesting link.    
There’s also the amazing Exoplanet app which I have on my IPad which has much of our galaxy plotted out into individual stars - and as you move away from our solar system, you can watch the shape of familiar constellations changing. Also allows you to visit stars and exoplanets individually. And you can home in on Sagittarius A - out very own black hole, and watch how close stars are moving around it at mind boggling speeds.  
It has helped me understand the night sky and constellations in a new way. You can buy add ons to cover galaxies and galaxy groups if you want to go bigger. 

[cajen2]

I love the idea that, viewed from Barnard's star, the sun is a fourth star in Orion's belt. Perhaps Orion's put on a bit of weight!

[Mr Spock]

I used to have Celestia installed. I didn't bother at the last clean install. Maybe I'll put it back on again. Looking at the sky from different stars is quite fun. Try from the middle of the Pleiades for example.