Scientific Sources & Data Provenance
Every quantitative claim, physical constant, and benchmark measurement on FastCosmos traces to a registered scientific archive or peer-reviewed survey release.
Registered Primary Archives & Surveys (15)
| Source & Publisher | Dataset Version | Primary Scientific Role | Citation & License |
|---|---|---|---|
| ESA Gaia Archive — Data Release 3 (European Space Agency / Gaia DPAC) | DR3 (2022-06-13) | Astrometry, trigonometric parallaxes, proper motions, radial velocities, and G/BP/RP spectrophotometry for stars and clusters. | Gaia Collaboration, Vallenari, A., et al. 2023, A&A, 674, A1 (Gaia Data Release 3) — Archive ↗ (CC BY 4.0 (ESA / Gaia DPAC)) |
| SIMBAD Astronomical Database (CDS) (Centre de Données astronomiques de Strasbourg) | 2026-10 release | Cross-identification, alias resolution, J2000 equatorial coordinates, morphological and spectral classifications, and bibliographic links. | Wenger, M., et al. 2000, A&AS, 143, 9 (The SIMBAD astronomical database) — Archive ↗ (CDS Terms of Use (academic and reference reuse with acknowledgment)) |
| NASA Exoplanet Archive (NASA Exoplanet Science Institute (NExScI / Caltech / IPAC)) | 2026-10-01 snapshot | Confirmed exoplanets, host star parameters, orbital periods, transit depths, radial velocity amplitudes, and discovery provenance. | Akeson, R. L., et al. 2013, PASP, 125, 989; NASA Exoplanet Archive (IPAC/Caltech) — Archive ↗ (Public Domain (U.S. Government / NASA / Caltech-IPAC acknowledgment)) |
| Hipparcos New Reduction Catalog (ESA / van Leeuwen (2007)) | 2007 New Reduction | Astrometric parallaxes and proper motions for the brightest naked-eye stars (V < 3). | van Leeuwen, F. 2007, A&A, 474, 653 (Validation of the new Hipparcos reduction) — Archive ↗ (CC BY 4.0 / CDS VizieR Open Access) |
| IAU Official Constellation Boundaries & Designations (International Astronomical Union (IAU)) | IAU 88 Recognized Constellations | Canonical constellation names, genitives, 3-letter codes, sky areas in square degrees, and boundary definitions. | Delporte, E. 1930, Délimitation scientifique des constellations (IAU / Cambridge University Press) — Archive ↗ (Public scientific standard (IAU attribution)) |
| IAU Working Group on Star Names (WGSN) (International Astronomical Union) | 2026 IAU WGSN Bulletin | Standardized proper names of stars and historical Bayer/Flamsteed cross-matching. | Mamajek, E., et al. (IAU WGSN) 2016–2026, IAU Catalog of Star Names — Archive ↗ (Public scientific standard (IAU attribution)) |
| Catalog of Parameters for Milky Way Globular Clusters (McMaster University / Gaia EDR3 Cluster Survey) | 2010 / 2021 Gaia EDR3 revision | Distances, metallicities [Fe/H], masses, half-light radii, and tidal radii for galactic globular clusters. | Harris, W. E. 1996 (2010 ed.), AJ, 112, 1487; Vasiliev, E. & Baumgardt, H. 2021, MNRAS, 505, 5978 — Archive ↗ (Open scientific catalog (academic attribution)) |
| Revised New General Catalogue and Index Catalogue (RNGC/IC) (Wolfgang Steinicke / OpenNGC) | 2024/2026 edition | Deep-sky object angular dimensions, integrated visual magnitudes, surface brightness, and Messier/NGC/IC cross-references. | Steinicke, W. 2010, Observing and Cataloguing Nebulae and Star Clusters (Cambridge Univ. Press); Verga, M. OpenNGC (CC-BY-SA 4.0 / data tables) — Archive ↗ (CC BY 4.0 / Public astronomical catalog parameters) |
| Planck 2018 Cosmological Parameters (PR3) (ESA / Planck Collaboration) | PR3 (2020 A&A 641, A6) | Early-universe CMB measurements of H0, Ωb, Ωc, ΩΛ, age of the universe, and redshift of recombination. | Planck Collaboration, Aghanim, N., et al. 2020, A&A, 641, A6 — Archive ↗ (CC BY 4.0 (ESA / Planck Collaboration)) |
| SH0ES Local Distance Ladder Hubble Constant (SH0ES Collaboration (HST / JWST)) | 2022 Baseline Cepheid + SN Ia | Late-universe Cepheid and Type Ia supernova distance-ladder measurements of H0 and extragalactic distances. | Riess, A. G., et al. 2022, ApJL, 934, L7 (A Comprehensive Measurement of the Local Value of the Hubble Constant) — Archive ↗ (CC BY 4.0 (American Astronomical Society)) |
| General Catalogue of Variable Stars (GCVS) & AAVSO VSX (Sternberg Astronomical Institute / AAVSO) | v5.1 (2026 update) | Variable star classifications, variability ranges, and pulsation/eclipse periods. | Samus, N. N., et al. 2017, Astronomy Reports, 61, 80 (General Catalogue of Variable Stars: Version GCVS 5.1) — Archive ↗ (Open scientific catalog (academic attribution)) |
| NASA/JPL Solar System Dynamics & Planetary Fact Sheets (NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory / GSFC) | DE441 (2021/2026) | Solar System planetary masses, radii, orbital elements, synodic periods, and opposition magnitudes. | Park, R. S., et al. 2021, AJ, 161, 105 (The JPL Planetary and Lunar Ephemerides DE440 and DE441) — Archive ↗ (Public Domain (U.S. Government / NASA-JPL)) |
| JWST / MAST Science Archive & Mission Documentation (NASA / ESA / CSA / STScI) | Cycle 1–4 Public Releases (2022–2026) | Infrared spectroscopy, high-redshift galaxy confirmations (JADES/CEERS), and exoplanet transmission spectra. | Rigby, J., et al. 2023, PASP, 135, 048001 (The Science Performance of JWST as Characterized in Commissioning) — Archive ↗ (Public Domain / CC BY 4.0 (NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI)) |
| Gravitational-Wave Transient Catalog (GWTC-3) (LIGO Scientific, Virgo, and KAGRA Collaborations) | O1–O3b Cumulative Catalog | Binary black hole and binary neutron star merger masses, luminosity distances, and gravitational-wave strain measurements. | Abbott, R., et al. (LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA) 2023, PRX, 13, 041039 (GWTC-3: Compact Binary Coalescences) — Archive ↗ (CC BY 4.0 (Gravitational Wave Open Science Center)) |
| Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration Horizon-Scale Results (Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration) | 2019 ApJL 875 L1 & 2022 ApJL 930 L12 | Direct VLBI shadow diameter and mass measurements for supermassive black holes M87* and Sagittarius A*. | Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration 2019, ApJL, 875, L1; 2022, ApJL, 930, L12 — Archive ↗ (CC BY 4.0 (EHT Collaboration)) |