61 Cygni (or Bessel's star) was a star system consisting of binary companion stars, 61 Cygni A and 61 Cygni B, located about 11.4 light years from Sol.

On several occasions in 2364, viewscreen readouts aboard the USS Enterprise-D showed the location of the A and B 61 Cygni stars, in the form of a star chart from the Enterprise-D library computer. (TNG: "The Naked Now", "The Last Outpost", "Conspiracy")

Background Edit

• 61 Cygni, or Bessel's star, was a real system in the constellation of Cygnus. Modern scientists have determined 61 Cygni's components are spectral class K5V and K7V.

• The Enterprise computer's star chart was a drawing by Rick Sternbach that had originally been published, years earlier, on page 77 of the non-canon reference book Spaceflight Chronology. This chart showed Earth commercial and exploration routes after the use of warp drive began. 61 Cygni A is in the bottom right corner of the chart at the end of an exploration route.

• The Star Fleet Technical Manual listed the United Planets of 61 Cygni as one of the founding members of the Federation. Later, 61 Cygni would be associated with the homeworld of the Tellarite race in other non-canon publications, such as The Worlds of the Federation and the Star Trek: Star Charts (page 36).

• According to the Star Trek: Star Charts (pages 36, 44), this star was located in the Alpha Quadrant, in Sector 001. On page 44, this system was identified as a stop on the Earth trade route in the 22nd century.

External links Edit

• 61 Cygni at Wikipedia
• 61 Cygni at the Internet Stellar Database