Does Opposition happen in KSP?

[Bar27262]

Has anyone had Opposition happen in KSP? making it easier to get to the planet or no?

[SanderB]

Can you be more specific?

[Red Iron Crown]

Opposition can happen in KSP (there are superior planets to Kerbin), but it doesn't make transfers any cheaper. Waiting for the correct phase angle is the key to easier interplanetary transfers.

[Bar27262]

Opposition can happen in KSP (there are superior planets to Kerbin), but it doesn't make transfers any cheaper. Waiting for the correct phase angle is the key to easier interplanetary transfers.

Do you have any photos of it?

[Red Iron Crown]

Opposition is not something that is visible in the night sky, it's only visible in the map view in KSP. Easy enough to set up with timewarp:

Dres in opposition.

[OddFunction]

Opposition can happen in KSP (there are superior planets to Kerbin), but it doesn't make transfers any cheaper. Waiting for the correct phase angle is the key to easier interplanetary transfers.

Is there an idiots version of that 'Phase Angle' chart? Looking at it I kind of get it, but like anything in this game, it's a bit confusing until you try it a couple times.

I am right at the point where I am ready to leap out to other planets

[Mr Shifty]

Opposition is not something that is visible in the night sky, it's only visible in the map view in KSP.

You could see it with [thread=98943]Distant Object Enhancement[/thread], in the sense that the planet would be visible in the sky near zenith at Kerbin midnight.

[SanderB]

If you can stand to do a little mental arithmetic, Take the Semi major axis of your transfer orbit and divide it by the SMA of your target and take that to the power of 3 and then take the square root and multiply by 180°. That should give you a rough phase angle.

[Red Iron Crown]

Is there an idiots version of that 'Phase Angle' chart? Looking at it I kind of get it, but like anything in this game, it's a bit confusing until you try it a couple times.

I am right at the point where I am ready to leap out to other planets

Ignore the number for the angles, just center on the sun in mapview, then timewarp while keeping Kerbin at 3 o'clock. When the destination planet is at roughly the correct position according to the chart you should have a reasonably good transfer window.

You could see it with [thread=98943]Distant Object Enhancement[/thread], in the sense that the planet would be visible in the sky near zenith at Kerbin midnight.

I love DOE, an excellent mod. You're right that this would technically be seeing it in the night sky, it's just hard to distinguish anything special in such a pic compared to any other pic of a body in the sky at night.

Edited May 24, 2015 by Red Iron Crown

[Snark]

Is there an idiots version of that 'Phase Angle' chart?

Try this:

http://ksp.olex.biz/

It's nice because not only does it handle "what's the phase angle between planet A and planet B", but it also tells you what place to start your burn based on how high your circular orbit is.