Determining the Qualities of Stars

[Varyon]

Originally Posted by Humabout

I dont have the equation for absolute magnitutde from luminosity on hand, but Jon Zeigler (author of GURPS Space) has been publishing an update to the star and planet generation system that incorporates modern planetology here.

Neat. I'll keep an eye on it if I need deeper details, but so far I'm happy with what I'm getting out of Space. Well, mostly - I'd really like a way to determine the heliopause (but after trying to look it up, I get the feeling we don't actually have any idea of where the heliopause is for any star other than Sol), and determination of planet subtype with a basis on more than just its orbit would be nice (the mentioned possibility of high albedo meaning an ice planet or high greenhouse meaning a greenhouse planet in the habitable zone), although I think I have a kludge for that, which is roughly actually rolling to determine the ratio of the habitable zone planet, and use the resulting temperature instead of the true blackbody temperature. The further it is from 1.11 AU, the higher its albedo (and beyond 1.14 AU, an otherwise-Ocean/Garden world is Ice, and quite bright), while the closer it is, the more of a greenhouse effect is has (and less than 1 AU, an otherwise-Ocean/Garden world has a runaway greenhouse effect and is a Greenhouse planet.

Originally Posted by AlexanderHowl

Why not just use G-type main sequence stars? It is easier if you can connect Sol.

Sol being cut off is a feature, not a bug. I also feel it's necessary for making FTL travel easy, yet never discovered on Earth - it's literally impossible within our solar system, and indeed in many solar systems. "Aetheric stars" aren't actually the only ones where boost drives and entering/exiting hyperspace is possible, however, but they are much easier than the others, and how you enter hyperspace sort of "attunes" your ship to make it easier to detect and utilize very similar systems, hence humans having only colonized the aetherics. The setting's "aliens" do make use of some of the other eligible star systems but essentially nobody actually knows that (nor do they know the "aliens" are actually engineered lifeforms based on Earth life).

For the purposes of the setting, only the aetheric systems really matter. Earth is a distant theocracy on a 5-year communication delay, while the Malakim are a threat that can somehow enter - and apparently exit - hyperspace without being at an aetheric heliopause, although not reliably. Nobody can visit Earth (and while Earth occasionally sends new colonists - primarily to further along the Caliphate's spread into Harpyia so it can seize power and force humanity to return to Earth - said colonists are still a few generations removed from anyone who's actually seen Earth), and hitching a ride on one of the Malakim's biological ships to see where they are based is impossible (it will detect you, and if you kill all of its crew and prevent it from making more, it's more likely to just stay in hyperspace long enough for the aether to kill it than try to return home).