Celestia Forums

Probably an impact feature, maybe a raised ring of rock or a layer of dark sediment. There are many circular features on Earth like this.

Yeah...it's a double crater. No UFO.


Overhead view


Perspective view, showing topography

In a press conference earlier today, NASA announced that, among other candidates, Kepler had discovered 6 planets orbiting the star Kepler-11. These planets all orbit very close to the star, the outermost planet lying at a distance that would place it just in-between Mercury and Venus in our own sol...

Would such detection methods work with Earth-mass planets however? (although, given the time period my project takes place in, it could be assumed that we have developed means of detection orders of magnitudes more sensitive and accurate than today's methods.) For direct imaging to work, the planets...

In trying to design a (very rough) mission trajectory for my interstellar colony ship(s) to Terra Nova (formerly known as Tiamat to those familiar with my pet project...I'll have to request the original add-on be removed form the motherlode until the final version is done), and I've discovered somet...

:D :D Yesterday (September 29th), astronomers discovered 2 new planets in the Gliese 581 system (bringing the total up to 6). One of them, Gliese 581g, is thought to be around 3-4 Earth masses and lies within Gliese 581's habitable zone, between c and d (thought to also have conditions allowing for ...

Thanks. I just downloaded FileZilla and I am in the process of uploading the add-on. This version has the correct texture for Qingu. 8) Also, quick question...if I had a large number of add-ons all set within my Upbringer universe, would they be able to have their own section under the fictional tab...

Hey all, sorry for my extended absence. Anyway, I made an account on 4shared and uploaded the add-on to it. Here is the link (let me know if the download works, and don't forget to leave some feedback on the add-on!) :D 82 Eri.zip Hahaha, I just now realized that the texture for Qingu is actually ou...

A few days ago (August 1st), the sun launched a Coronal Mass Ejection at Earth. It should make for some nice auroral displays for those of us in the northern hemisphere! The second CME (due to hit sometime today) should provide a better opportunity for Aurora. http://www.nasa.gov/topics/solarsystem/...

I've been working quite some time now on a hard sci-fi project I call Upbringer. The intention is to write a novel (perhaps more than one) based on the backstory I've been building. Recently though I've decided that the universe I've been trying to build is in fact somewhat too large for me to handl...

Ok. But it says that if my file is over 8 Mb (which it is, it's about 40.2 compressed), I need to use a FTP-program. I did a google search and found FileZilla, but I have no idea what to do with it. How do I use an FTP-program to upload the add-on? Is there an alternative method of uploading besides...

I apologize for my absence. I have finished and packaged the lower resolution version of this system. How do I upload it to the forum? I assume I have to upload onto another site and then provide a link?

You might consider using the Spore creatures editor :lol: That actually looked very interesting. I kind of want to get Spore, but I haven't gotten around to that yet... Actually I have produced a few preliminary sketches of some alien life, but to me they seem too Earth-like. I guess that's because...

That's ok! :lol: It is quite the challenge indeed, but it's as enjoyable as it is frustrating. But humans too will be difficult to design for Tiamat. I still haven't decided in what manner we've colonized Tiamat, whether by genetic seeder ships overseen with parent AIs, or with hibernating adult hum...

Tiamat's temperature range is in Celsius. In Fahrenheit, it would be between 11.3 - 116.06 degrees, fairly similar to Earth. Although, this may not hold exactly true, as there would be a little more powerful of a greenhouse effect due to higher water vapor content in the atmosphere, and the higher a...

Thank you, Dollan! :D Yeah, a lot of my textures are pretty high-res (Tiamat's texture is 8192x4096), so they do look pretty nice. Which is why I'm thinking of perhaps uploading two versions of the system, a low-res and a high-res. The gas giant textures were made by overlaying other textures from o...

Ah, thank you very much VikingTechJPL. That should come in handy for my data tables. Also, for everyone's viewing pleasure, here is a screenshot of Tiamat, the fourth planet out from 82 Eridani and the only habitable planet in the system. tiamat_planet2.jpg In addition, the planets can be viewed her...

Is there a way to calculate or estimate the perihelion and aphelion of a given planet's orbit, given the semi-major axis and eccentricity? I've been trying to get a very rough estimate by going to the surface of 82 Eridani and selecting one of my planets, then recording their closest approach and fu...

Hello again! I've decided against using Beta Hydri as the star for the setting of my science fiction scenario, and switched to the more sun-like 82 Eridani. Using StarGen ( http://www.eldacur.com/~brons/NerdCorner/StarGen/StarGen.html ), a planetary system "modeler" of sorts (it generate p...

Here are the values I have found (by trial and error) that give a fairy nice alignment with Alpha Centauri's orbital plane and the planet's orbital plane, as well as a relatively nice axial tilt. You might need to change the values somewhat to fit your needs though... EllipticalOrbit { Period 0.5757...