Hipparcos Input Catalog: 118,209 Stars for Astrometry Mission

118,209 stars were selected from over 214,000 candidates to form the observing program for the European Space Agency's Hipparcos astrometry mission. The catalog includes positions, proper motions, magnitudes, colors, and, where available, spectral types, radial velocities, and variability information. This service is provided by NASA HEASARC.

Use Cases

• Stellar classification and analysis based on spectral types and photometric data
• Astrometric modeling and proper motion studies based on positional data
• Studying stellar multiplicity and variability from the catalog's noted information
• Calibrating or validating other astronomical surveys using this homogenized reference catalog

Strengths

• Contains 118,209 stars with homogenized data from extensive compilation efforts
• Includes a substantial sampling of important stellar categories in the solar neighborhood
• Magnitude limits are well-defined, ranging from 7.3 to 9 mag, with no stars fainter than V=13 mag

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA HEASARC)

Collection Method

Constructed as the observing program for the ESA Hipparcos mission, compiling and homogenizing existing data and collecting new data where needed.

Time Range

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Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 18:04:51.618113; freshness should be verified

Geography

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