Constellations in the Kerbol system sky

[artao]

Just wondering if anyone has put any effort into a consensus-approved list of constellations yet. I've heard tell the starfield may be receiving some changes, so that may make this all moot.

It'd be kinda fun tho, no? Then at some point there could perhaps even be an add-in that could display said constellation outlines while playing.

That's it. Curiosity and fun!

[Dead Pixel]

Seems Like A Great Idea! I agree

[JadedStoner]

This would be a really sweet idea, but I've taught astronomy in one form or another for about four years, much of that out at a college observatory actually under the stars. Constellations are very subtle, most students can't see the centaur in Sagittarius, but do find it easier to identify the asterism 'the teapot'. Even the names of the stars themselves have special meaning based on their location within the constellation, Deneb means 'tail' in Arabic, which is good seeing as it is the located in the tail of Cygnus the Swan.

Procedurally generated constellations could be... tricky. Perhaps some random algorithm to section off a random group of stars and then provide some randomized line connecting the brightest 25% of the stars in that group could provide a basis for personal constellations.

I would really love to see distant nebula, galaxies and other exotic stellar objects to be implemented as targets for study. A major science overhaul would be wicked awesome, but I'm sure the devs have thought of these things before and I doubt now is the time to add it. Having an EM spectrum to analyze would be icing on an already bitchin' cake...

JS

[Rage097]

Actually, if we were to add constellations it could provide a place for other solar systems if and when those are implemented.

It would be great to look up in the night sky around Kerbin and say: "Yeah, I went to all those."

[artao]

I don't mean computer-generated constellations. .. I simply mean us, the players, say, "Hey! Here's what I see in this region amongst these stars, and I call it [this]" and then submit that here for consensus approval or something .. not that consensus ever really works very well.

And constellations don't have much to do with other solar systems, aside from being made up of stars.

I personally haven't seen any star-patterns that pop out at me as anything in particular . ... . yet

I'm an amateur astronomer and I agree, some of the constellations can be darn tricky to see. It doesn't help that they're based of ancient mythology that most people these days know nothing about, and that all the light pollution blots out many of the involved stars.

[Rage097]

I don't mean computer-generated constellations. .. I simply mean us, the players, say, "Hey! Here's what I see in this region amongst these stars, and I call it [this]" and then submit that here for consensus approval or something .. not that consensus ever really works very well.

And constellations don't have much to do with other solar systems, aside from being made up of stars.

I personally haven't seen any star-patterns that pop out at me as anything in particular . ... . yet

I'm an amateur astronomer and I agree, some of the constellations can be darn tricky to see. It doesn't help that they're based of ancient mythology that most people these days know nothing about, and that all the light pollution blots out many of the involved stars.

I meant that each star IN a constellation could support it's own solar system in game.

[JaySmoka]

I found Mariosis Brosuri

[JadedStoner]

And constellations don't have much to do with other solar sysIt doesn't help that they're based of ancient mythology that most people these days know nothing about, and that all the light pollution blots out many of the involved stars.

yea... it sucks. My buddy and I drove about and hour and a half north of Oakland last summer for the Perseids, it was freakin awesome! Counted about 200 meteors in about 4 hours.

JS

[Johno]

Actually, putting together a sky map would actually have serious navigational value. And it'd be fun too!

[rodion_herrera]

Actually, putting together a sky map would actually have serious navigational value. And it'd be fun too!

Beat me to it Case in point, the Apollo CSM's GC can be calibrated and re-aligned by using a sextant built-into one of the CSM's windows.

...The sextant fulfilled the need for a device to aid the alignment and bound the drift of the inertial system. The instrument consisted of two telescopes. The first was a one-power, wide-field scanning telescope, which was used to locate a star or constellation in space. The second was a 28-power sextant, which took the actual reading. Although it did not look like a traditional sextant, it operated in a similar manner. The astronaut sighted on two heavenly bodies: two stars, or a star and the horizon of the Earth or Moon, adjusted the optics until they were aligned over one another, and then pressed a button marking the instrument’s reading and the time. One of the axes of the telescopes was fixed, so that the process of finding the Earth or Moon typically consisted of orienting the entire spacecraft around until that body came into the field of view. Once a reading was taken, the on-board Apollo Guidance Computer (AGC) computed the spacecraft’s position, based on those readings and data stored in its memory.

[Motokid600]

Skyrim does constellations very very well. Be great to see this in ksp.

[Rage097]

Dovakiin is better than any of us at KSP. FUS RO DAH!

welcome to eeloo!

On topic

I don't think that constellations would maverick much navigational value simply because we have map view and the navball.

[Zephram Kerman]

Beat me to it Case in point, the Apollo CSM's GC can be calibrated and re-aligned by using a sextant built-into one of the CSM's windows.

...The sextant fulfilled the need for a device to aid the alignment and bound the drift of the inertial system. The instrument consisted of two telescopes. The first was a one-power, wide-field scanning telescope, which was used to locate a star or constellation in space. The second was a 28-power sextant, which took the actual reading. Although it did not look like a traditional sextant, it operated in a similar manner. The astronaut sighted on two heavenly bodies: two stars, or a star and the horizon of the Earth or Moon, adjusted the optics until they were aligned over one another, and then pressed a button marking the instrument’s reading and the time. One of the axes of the telescopes was fixed, so that the process of finding the Earth or Moon typically consisted of orienting the entire spacecraft around until that body came into the field of view. Once a reading was taken, the on-board Apollo Guidance Computer (AGC) computed the spacecraft’s position, based on those readings and data stored in its memory.

That's very cool. In the back of my mind, I've been wondering how a spacecraft position is figured out in real life. (I was pretty sure NASA doesn't just press "m".) The precision of this instrument, able to get a useful position by measuring the angle between two stars, blows my mind.

[biggles1]

That's very cool. In the back of my mind, I've been wondering how a spacecraft position is figured out in real life. (I was pretty sure NASA doesn't just press "m".) The precision of this instrument, able to get a useful position by measuring the angle between two stars, blows my mind.

On top of that, in case of a failure the astronauts probably had to do some similar calculations based on manual readings.

[OrbitusII]

I don't think that constellations would maverick much navigational value simply because we have map view and the navball.

How about for the sake of KSP lore and RP? I'll be looking out for constellations in the KSP sky now.

[artao]

I found Mariosis Brosuri

hmm ... without those lines, I don't think I'd see it JaySmoka. Sorry. ... Nice tho! Thanks!!

I'll see if I can locate where you found that.

[OrbitusII]

Kaput Hastae (Kerbal of Caput Hastae), the spearhead.

I also thought I saw our Orion, but I lost it after a moment...

[rodion_herrera]

Kaput Hastae (Kerbal of Caput Hastae), the spearhead.

I also thought I saw our Orion, but I lost it after a moment...

In the first place, are you sure those are stars? I mean, they could be a neighboring alien race like the Kerbals, but they're so BAD at rocketry that they blow entire systems up

[artao]

hmm ... perhaps we need a celestial grid overlay so we can all see exactly where these constellations are seen

[BigBoy734]

I tried the same thing but on planets,kinda died out.

[Mr. Rogue Ace]

at least add some twinkling to those stars... it's boring to star at a flat grey (or depending on where you stare at) with white dots scattered around

[Xaryn Mar]

Stars do not twinkle outside an atmosphere since it is the turbulence in the atmosphere that makes them look like they twinkle. That is the reason for the Hubble Space Telescope (a small 2m telescope that would have been in the very low end of telescope size on the ground when launched).

[rodion_herrera]

Stars do not twinkle outside an atmosphere since it is the turbulence in the atmosphere that makes them look like they twinkle. That is the reason for the Hubble Space Telescope (a small 2m telescope that would have been in the very low end of telescope size on the ground when launched).

I guess he meant if you're down at Kerbin or some other planet or moon that has an atmosphere. Would be a nice "added touch" but I think if it's too difficult to implement then it shouldn't be on the to-do list.

[TooManyErrors]

We now know where life is.

[artao]

at least add some twinkling to those stars... it's boring to star at a flat grey (or depending on where you stare at) with white dots scattered around

Stars only twinkle due to the atmosphere. Stars do not twinkle when viewed in space.

..EDIT.. oh geez, someone else pointed that out already ... guess I should read all the posts before quick-replying. sorry.

Edited June 2, 2013 by artao