With the help of a three-dimensional map of stars near the sun, astronomers can search for alien planets that might hold life. The map was created by NASA’s Chandra X-ray space telescope, which ...

"Star maps, even though they show the world above, still reflect a lot of what's going on down below," he said.

The map may have been intended as a tourists’ souvenir rather than a literal guide to star-stalking. I first heard about this map through Nathan Masters’ Twitter feed.

Here’s how it works. NASA's Chandra X-ray space telescope has created a three-dimensional map of stars close to the sun that may help astronomers search for alien planets that could host life.