CT Only: updated data for Book 6, page 56 — “The Terra System”

[Kakistocrat]

Attached to this thread is a PDF document that contains updated data for Book 6, page 56 — “The Terra System”. Along with a few corrections to moon orbits and sizes on that page (and removing Janus because its mean diameter is less than 200 km), it includes many other small celestial bodies with mean diameters of at least 200 km that have been identified in the last 40 years, as well as individually listed asteroids of appropriate size in the asteroid belt. Where known, minor planet designations include their respective Minor Planet Center catalog numbers.

The orbit numbers for non-moons have been expanded to three decimal places of precision, which allows each non-moon to have a unique orbit number. (I used Ceres’ orbit number to represent the orbit number of the entire asteroid belt.) Since there are actual worlds around other stars that have semi-major axes of less than 0.2 au, I have rescaled orbit 0 to represent a semi-major axis of 0.01 au instead of 0.2 au, and Mercury’s orbit number in this document reflects this rescaling.

The page size used in the document is the same size as was used by Book 6, so the document should be printable on either ANSI A or ISO A4 paper, and its printed pages can be trimmed to fit into your copy of Book 6. The font size is a bit smaller than was used in Book 6, since some of the minor planets have long names, but I find that viewing the PDF at 150% zoom on my laptop is comfortable, even for my old eyes.

If you find mistakes in this document, or have ideas for improving its presentation, please let me know.

 

[G. Kashkanun Anderson]

If you are basing this on the original, Book 6 data, then I believe you have misread Venus. My copy shows it as having a 'B' atmosphere (corrosive), rather than '8' (dense, but breathable).

To my knowledge, Venus was never terraformed in the OTU (although I believe the Ancients tried, but failed spectacularly).

 

[whulorigan]

If you are basing this on the original, Book 6 data, then I believe you have misread Venus. My copy shows it as having a 'B' atmosphere (corrosive), rather than '8' (dense, but breathable).

To my knowledge, Venus was never terraformed in the OTU (although I believe the Ancients tried, but failed spectacularly).

Yes. According to some of the DGP material for MT, the Venus terraforming was interrupted by the Final War, and the resulting hellworld is what resulted from the subsequent unmonitored process.

 

[Spinward Flow]

To my knowledge, Venus was never terraformed in the OTU (although I believe the Ancients tried, but failed spectacularly).

According to some of the DGP material for MT, the Venus terraforming was interrupted by the Final War, and the resulting hellworld is what resulted from the subsequent unmonitored process.

ORLY?

 

[Kakistocrat]

If you are basing this on the original, Book 6 data, then I believe you have misread Venus. My copy shows it as having a 'B' atmosphere (corrosive), rather than '8' (dense, but breathable).

You’re absolutely right — I’d misread Venus’ B atmosphere as an 8. The updated PDF is attached below. Thanks for letting me know!

 

[Meteoric Assault]

On topic but posing a question form a different POV , how would a Book 6 system generation handle a gas giant’s radiation (for example Jupiter’s) when we look at habitability in that gas giant’s moons?

I know we can wave the TL Wand at High tech level but for say a system at TL 8-10 or even 11?

 

[mike wightman]

The habitable satellite of a gas giant would have to have an active protective magnetic field, the aurora on such a worldlet would be spectacular.

 

[Meteoric Assault]

The habitable satellite of a gas giant would have to have an active protective magnetic field, the aurora on such a worldlet would be spectacular.

So technology could solve the answer at such low TL?
Alaska Feb - Apr 2022 during the big x class solar flares

 

[Spinward Flow]

The habitable satellite of a gas giant would have to have an active protective magnetic field, the aurora on such a worldlet would be spectacular.

So technology could solve the answer at such low TL?

Uh.
The moon itself would be naturally generating its OWN magnetic field INSIDE the magnetic field of the gas giant it is orbiting ...?

No technology required ...
So it "works" @ TL=0 ...

And the aurora would be SPECTACULAR, as advertised.

 

[Meteoric Assault]

Uh.
The moon itself would be naturally generating its OWN magnetic field INSIDE the magnetic field of the gas giant it is orbiting ...?

No technology required ...
So it "works" @ TL=0 ...

And the aurora would be SPECTACULAR, as advertised.

Not exactly

“Guided by the JOSE model, Juice will fly past Callisto 21 times, but will only fly past Europa twice – in the process sustaining a third of all its lifetime radiation exposure – before settling into orbit around Ganymede, a moon with its own magnetic field, which works to shield some of Jupiter’s radiation.
Christian adds: “One of the most important things the model achieved for us was showing that what seemed to be a dangerous place was not completely out of reach. Less than four years at Jupiter will involve the equivalent radiation exposure of a telecommunications satellite in geostationary Earth orbit for 20 years – which we have plenty of experience in managing.”

Jupiter’s radiation belts – and how to survive them

ESA’s Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer, Juice, is headed to the largest structure in the Solar System – not the gas giant itself but the mammoth magnetic field that it generates. Its exact size varies with the solar wind, but Jupiter’s magnetosphere is on average 20 million kilometres across, which is...

www.esa.int

And speaking aurora … when it is so strong it turns your house into Minas Morgul
!

 

[Spinward Flow]

but will only fly past Europa twice – in the process sustaining a third of all its lifetime radiation exposure

That's primarily because Europa is in one of the most powerful bands of Jupiter's radiation belt orbits ... and Europa doesn't have much of a magnetic field of its own, so the radiation around Europa is pretty steep.

Hat tip to r/space for this bit of data.

 

[Meteoric Assault]

Still it is a very steep clime from earth to Callisto & Ganymede

 

[Spinward Flow]

Still it is a very steep clime from earth to Callisto & Ganymede

Fun fact: Jupiter has a more powerful magnetic field than the local star ... Sol.

 

[Meteoric Assault]

Fun fact: Jupiter has a more powerful magnetic field than the local star ... Sol.

I know

 

[Grav_Moped]

What about the other moons, Europa and Ten*?

(*Psst... Io. It's Io. No, not low -- Eeyo.)

 

[McPerth]

Just one question: why not to consider everything past Neptune as a Planetoid Belt?

They can be quite wide (up to 5 AU for the farthest ones, according MT:WBH), and, IMHO, wit will make more logic than considering each and every one of those tiny bodies as a different orbit...

 

[Meteoric Assault]

Just one question: why not to consider everything past Neptune as a Planetoid Belt?

They can be quite wide (up to 5 AU for the farthest ones, according MT:WBH), and, IMHO, wit will make more logic than considering each and every one of those tiny bodies as a different orbit...

Blasphemy … Pluto is still a planet to many of us

 

[McPerth]

I'm afraid the scientific community who decides this cares little about your oppinion (or mine, for what's worth)

 

[whulorigan]

Blasphemy … Pluto is still a planet to many of us

Heretic.

 

[Condottiere]

Canis Minor.