# How to project galaxy data in x y z coordinates?

For a data visualization project, I want to extract galaxy data (in x y z coordinates) from galaxy catalogue of within 150 mpc and project each of those galaxies as dots and visualize them in a 2D projection of a spherical volume. Need your help in getting this data set and how to achieve it?

Would be grateful for any help in any way!

• The NED database ned.ipac.caltech.edu – Rob Jeffries Dec 27 '16 at 14:37
• usno.navy.mil/USNO/astrometry/optical-IR-prod/nomad contains one billion objects, but you probably won't need something that extreme. – user21 Dec 27 '16 at 16:47
• Every catalog of galaxies is going to be missing all those galaxies that lie behind the milkyway. There will be a big slice missing, whatever data you use. – James K Dec 27 '16 at 17:01
• @barrycarter As I'm sure I've mentioned before (?), Nomad is mostly a stellar catalogue. – Rob Jeffries Dec 27 '16 at 17:48
• @RobJeffries You are correct. heasarc.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/cgro/db-perl/W3Browse/… may be more helpful. – user21 Dec 28 '16 at 5:56

You could try the Hyperleda database. You will have to learn to use the database, which possibly means learning a little bit of SQL. For starters you could select all items with redshift $cz < H_0\times 150$ km/s, using redshift as a distance indicator. This should be roughly ok at 150 Mpc (though I don't see any viable alternative).
The returned catalogue should have (at least) RA, Dec, redshift, possibly a size and morphology and, for a small subset of the galaxies, a redshift-independent distance estimate. Given that very nearby galaxies (in the local group or a $d < 50$Mpc) are not fully part of the "Hubble flow" you might choose to use these in preference to a redshift-distance where available.