tkdguy
Nov 3rd, '04, 10:53 PM
Here's a rough draft of a project I'm working on. I haven't made the final changes yet, so please make any suggestions you feel are necessary.
Thanks to everyone who voted on my poll about the Warhammer world's name. I haven't changed the name yet, since I got different results here and in the WFRP forum.
Edit: Here's the original text. I need to delete the attachment in order to make space for other attachments. Sorry about that; there's a limit to how much stuff you can attach.
THE WARHAMMER SOLAR SYSTEM
A. INTRODUCTION
This work is my interpretation of the solar system in the Warhammer world. It is based on our own solar system, since our system is so far the only solar system that is known to harbor life. Therefore, I used the Titius-Bode Relation (and fudged the numbers a little) to determine the planets’ orbits.
I have included some data on the planets, all of which were based on the planets of our own solar system. The numbers are slightly different, but are not too far off from the data on the real planets.
My reason for putting in so many similarities between this fantasy solar system and our own is simple. The Warhammer world is very similar to our own. True, it is a fantasy version filled with fantastic creatures and a different history, but it shares many similarities with Earth on a macroscopic scale. Also, as it is easier to relate to something that has familiar elements, having a solar system similar to ours makes the setting feel more realistic.
B. NOTES
I have used Earth as the basis for my calculations, so the length of a planet’s year is relative to an Earth year (365.25 days). Likewise, a planet’s distance from the sun is based on the Astronomical Unit (AU), where 1 AU is the distance of the Earth from the sun. Note that 1 AU = 1.5x108 km (9.3x107 miles). Units of time (hours, minutes, and seconds) are identical to Earth.
I used Kepler’s Third Law to determine the time it takes each planet to revolve around the sun. Keep in mind that the Warhammer world completes a year in 400 days. I based several of my calculations on that figure.
Gravity in the Warhammer world (which I named Erde) is a bit stronger than on Earth. Note that 1 g = 9.8 m/s2 on earth. While gravity on Erde is a bit stronger, it is not strong enough to have a significant impact on humans (assuming that the humans on that world are identical to those in our world).
C. THE STAR SYSTEM
THE SUN
The Sun in the Warhammer world a yellow star that is slightly hotter and more massive than our own. The Elves call the sun Asuryan, after their sun god. Imperial stargazers have attempted to name the sun Sigmar, but the idea was not well-received outside the Empire.
RANALD
Ranald is the closest planet to the sun. It is a small airless rock, hot when it faces the sun and cold when it faces away from the sun. It has an unusually slow rotation, completing a rotation in 42 earth days. Its year, therefore, consists of only two of its days. It has no moon.
Being so close to the sun, Ranald is always seen around dawn or dusk, never very far off from the sun’s rising or setting. It appears as a bright object.
VERENA
Verena is the second planet from the sun. It is nearly as large as Erde, but its atmosphere is extremely dense; with an atmospheric pressure almost 100 times that of Earth. It has an atmosphere, but it is extremely hot. Like Ranald, it has no moon. Verena is the planet nearest to Erde.
Verena is always seen around dawn or dusk. It is a very bright object, outshone only by the sun and the moons.
ERDE
Erde is the Warhammer world. It is around 8% larger than our earth and about as dense as our world. Erde is like Earth in most ways. There are, however, subtle differences between the two worlds.
MANNSLIEB
Mannslieb is Erde’s principal satellite. It completes its orbit around the planet in 25 days. Mannslieb is tidally locked to Erde, so only one side of the moon is ever seen. Mannslieb is the major force affecting the world’s tides.
Mannslieb looks very much like Earth’s moon, a large grayish-white rock with many craters.
MORRSLIEB
Morrslieb was originally an asteroid that was captured by Erde’s gravity and became the planet’s second moon. It has a highly eccentric orbit, which is why its distance from the planet varies so much compared to Mannslieb. Unlike its companion, Morrslieb is not tidally locked. It therefore rotates slowly around its axis completing a full rotation in 200 days. Morrslieb is irregularly-shaped, which is why viewers on Erde see it change its appearance. The most notable face of the moon is the skull-like shape seen during Witching Day and the Night of Mystery. Note that Morrslieb is always full on those nights.
In addition to its changing face, Morrslieb appears green, indicating great quantities of copper in the moon.
MYRMIDIA
Myrmidia is a small world (half the size of Erde). Next to Verena, it is the closest planet to the world. It has two small moons.
Myrmidia appears as a reddish figure in the night sky.
NOTE: Myrmidia lies within the sun’s life zone, which means life may exist, or may have at one point. Perhaps the Old Ones originated on Myrmidia, or they fled there after their battle with Chaos.
TAAL
Taal is a large gas giant, about 300 times the size of Erde. Its surface is very active, with storms that last for millennia. These storms appear as belts. It has 12 known moons, but more likely exist, waiting to be discovered.
Taal appears as a white object. Its moons can be seen with a telescope, although a large telescope would be necessary to view the smaller satellites. Its belts care also visible through a telescope. It has rings, but they are too small and dark to be discovered at this time.
ULRIC
Ulric is a gas giant about a third the size of Taal. It has at least ten moons, but it is famous for its rings. The rings were first discovered when stargazers first used telescopes to view the heavens. Early telescopes gave an indistinct picture of the planet; the rings appeared as ears. As telescopes became more advanced, they gave a clearer view.
Ulric appears as a white object with the naked eye, somewhat dimmer than Taal. It appears as a brownish sphere with rings when viewed with a telescope.
SHALLYA
Shallya is a gas giant, although it is nowhere near as large as Taal or Ulric. It is still many times larger than Erde, however. Its rings are too small and dark to be discovered at this time. Shallya has five moons.
Shallya is very dim, almost unnoticed by the human eye. Its slow trek across the heavens makes it seem even more innocuous. The Elves’ superior vision and long lifespan, however, made it possible for them to track the planet’s motion. A telescope is needed in order to view the planet clearly. It appears green
MANANN
Manann is a gas giant, the twin of Shallya. Manann and Shallya are comparable in mass and size. Manann is smaller than Shallya, but it is more massive. Manann has three moons.
Manann cannot be seen with the naked eye. However, it can be seen with a large telescope as a dim blue object. Like the other gas giants, it has rings, but they have not yet been discovered.
MORR
Cold and dark, Morr is the most distant planet of the solar system. It is so far from the sun that it takes over two centuries to complete a single revolution. It has a single satellite, which is nearly half its size.
Morr remains undiscovered as of yet. It is too small and remote to be viewed with the Old World’s current technology.
OTHER OBJECTS
An asteroid belt lies between the orbits of Myrmidia and Taal. Another lies past Morr’s orbit. The outermost fringe of the solar system is the domain of the comets. These zones have not yet been discovered by stargazers, although comets are seen from time to time.
Meteors are the debris of comets. Meteor showers are seen at regular intervals during the year.
NOTE: These objects are properly called meteoroids when they are in space. They become meteors when they enter the world’s atmosphere and usually burn up. The chunks that hit the surface are meteorites.
D. DATA
Solar Data
Spectral Type: G0V
Diameter: 1.40x106 km (1.05 solar diameters)
Mass: 2.19x1030 km (1.1 solar masses)
Luminosity: 5.07x1026 W (1.3 solar luminosities)
Temperature: 6000 K
Planetary Data
Planet Distance from sun Length of year Mass Diameter Moons
Ranald 0.38 AU 84 days 3.31x1023 kg 5,000 km 0
Verena 0.73 AU 228 days 4.90x1024 kg 12,400 km 0
Erde 1.06 AU 400 days 7.53x1024 kg 14,774 km 2
Myrmidia 1.57 AU 719 days 6.37x1023 kg 7,000 km 2
Taal 5.29 AU 12.2 years 1.15x1028 kg 151,000 km 12
Ulric 9.98 AU 31.6 years 4.48x1027 kg 240,000 km 10
Shallya 19.70 AU 87 years 5.22x1026 kg 58,000 km 5
Manann 29.84 AU 163 years 6.17x1026 kg 51,000 km 3
Morr 38.76 AU 214 years 7.45x1022 kg 2,300 km 1
Lunar Data
Moon Distance from Erde Length of month Mass Diameter
Mannslieb 2.5x107 km 25 days 4.2x1023 kg 6,788 km
Morrslieb 3.4x107 km (mean) 40 days 4.4x1016 kg 1,200 km
Thanks to everyone who voted on my poll about the Warhammer world's name. I haven't changed the name yet, since I got different results here and in the WFRP forum.
Edit: Here's the original text. I need to delete the attachment in order to make space for other attachments. Sorry about that; there's a limit to how much stuff you can attach.
THE WARHAMMER SOLAR SYSTEM
A. INTRODUCTION
This work is my interpretation of the solar system in the Warhammer world. It is based on our own solar system, since our system is so far the only solar system that is known to harbor life. Therefore, I used the Titius-Bode Relation (and fudged the numbers a little) to determine the planets’ orbits.
I have included some data on the planets, all of which were based on the planets of our own solar system. The numbers are slightly different, but are not too far off from the data on the real planets.
My reason for putting in so many similarities between this fantasy solar system and our own is simple. The Warhammer world is very similar to our own. True, it is a fantasy version filled with fantastic creatures and a different history, but it shares many similarities with Earth on a macroscopic scale. Also, as it is easier to relate to something that has familiar elements, having a solar system similar to ours makes the setting feel more realistic.
B. NOTES
I have used Earth as the basis for my calculations, so the length of a planet’s year is relative to an Earth year (365.25 days). Likewise, a planet’s distance from the sun is based on the Astronomical Unit (AU), where 1 AU is the distance of the Earth from the sun. Note that 1 AU = 1.5x108 km (9.3x107 miles). Units of time (hours, minutes, and seconds) are identical to Earth.
I used Kepler’s Third Law to determine the time it takes each planet to revolve around the sun. Keep in mind that the Warhammer world completes a year in 400 days. I based several of my calculations on that figure.
Gravity in the Warhammer world (which I named Erde) is a bit stronger than on Earth. Note that 1 g = 9.8 m/s2 on earth. While gravity on Erde is a bit stronger, it is not strong enough to have a significant impact on humans (assuming that the humans on that world are identical to those in our world).
C. THE STAR SYSTEM
THE SUN
The Sun in the Warhammer world a yellow star that is slightly hotter and more massive than our own. The Elves call the sun Asuryan, after their sun god. Imperial stargazers have attempted to name the sun Sigmar, but the idea was not well-received outside the Empire.
RANALD
Ranald is the closest planet to the sun. It is a small airless rock, hot when it faces the sun and cold when it faces away from the sun. It has an unusually slow rotation, completing a rotation in 42 earth days. Its year, therefore, consists of only two of its days. It has no moon.
Being so close to the sun, Ranald is always seen around dawn or dusk, never very far off from the sun’s rising or setting. It appears as a bright object.
VERENA
Verena is the second planet from the sun. It is nearly as large as Erde, but its atmosphere is extremely dense; with an atmospheric pressure almost 100 times that of Earth. It has an atmosphere, but it is extremely hot. Like Ranald, it has no moon. Verena is the planet nearest to Erde.
Verena is always seen around dawn or dusk. It is a very bright object, outshone only by the sun and the moons.
ERDE
Erde is the Warhammer world. It is around 8% larger than our earth and about as dense as our world. Erde is like Earth in most ways. There are, however, subtle differences between the two worlds.
MANNSLIEB
Mannslieb is Erde’s principal satellite. It completes its orbit around the planet in 25 days. Mannslieb is tidally locked to Erde, so only one side of the moon is ever seen. Mannslieb is the major force affecting the world’s tides.
Mannslieb looks very much like Earth’s moon, a large grayish-white rock with many craters.
MORRSLIEB
Morrslieb was originally an asteroid that was captured by Erde’s gravity and became the planet’s second moon. It has a highly eccentric orbit, which is why its distance from the planet varies so much compared to Mannslieb. Unlike its companion, Morrslieb is not tidally locked. It therefore rotates slowly around its axis completing a full rotation in 200 days. Morrslieb is irregularly-shaped, which is why viewers on Erde see it change its appearance. The most notable face of the moon is the skull-like shape seen during Witching Day and the Night of Mystery. Note that Morrslieb is always full on those nights.
In addition to its changing face, Morrslieb appears green, indicating great quantities of copper in the moon.
MYRMIDIA
Myrmidia is a small world (half the size of Erde). Next to Verena, it is the closest planet to the world. It has two small moons.
Myrmidia appears as a reddish figure in the night sky.
NOTE: Myrmidia lies within the sun’s life zone, which means life may exist, or may have at one point. Perhaps the Old Ones originated on Myrmidia, or they fled there after their battle with Chaos.
TAAL
Taal is a large gas giant, about 300 times the size of Erde. Its surface is very active, with storms that last for millennia. These storms appear as belts. It has 12 known moons, but more likely exist, waiting to be discovered.
Taal appears as a white object. Its moons can be seen with a telescope, although a large telescope would be necessary to view the smaller satellites. Its belts care also visible through a telescope. It has rings, but they are too small and dark to be discovered at this time.
ULRIC
Ulric is a gas giant about a third the size of Taal. It has at least ten moons, but it is famous for its rings. The rings were first discovered when stargazers first used telescopes to view the heavens. Early telescopes gave an indistinct picture of the planet; the rings appeared as ears. As telescopes became more advanced, they gave a clearer view.
Ulric appears as a white object with the naked eye, somewhat dimmer than Taal. It appears as a brownish sphere with rings when viewed with a telescope.
SHALLYA
Shallya is a gas giant, although it is nowhere near as large as Taal or Ulric. It is still many times larger than Erde, however. Its rings are too small and dark to be discovered at this time. Shallya has five moons.
Shallya is very dim, almost unnoticed by the human eye. Its slow trek across the heavens makes it seem even more innocuous. The Elves’ superior vision and long lifespan, however, made it possible for them to track the planet’s motion. A telescope is needed in order to view the planet clearly. It appears green
MANANN
Manann is a gas giant, the twin of Shallya. Manann and Shallya are comparable in mass and size. Manann is smaller than Shallya, but it is more massive. Manann has three moons.
Manann cannot be seen with the naked eye. However, it can be seen with a large telescope as a dim blue object. Like the other gas giants, it has rings, but they have not yet been discovered.
MORR
Cold and dark, Morr is the most distant planet of the solar system. It is so far from the sun that it takes over two centuries to complete a single revolution. It has a single satellite, which is nearly half its size.
Morr remains undiscovered as of yet. It is too small and remote to be viewed with the Old World’s current technology.
OTHER OBJECTS
An asteroid belt lies between the orbits of Myrmidia and Taal. Another lies past Morr’s orbit. The outermost fringe of the solar system is the domain of the comets. These zones have not yet been discovered by stargazers, although comets are seen from time to time.
Meteors are the debris of comets. Meteor showers are seen at regular intervals during the year.
NOTE: These objects are properly called meteoroids when they are in space. They become meteors when they enter the world’s atmosphere and usually burn up. The chunks that hit the surface are meteorites.
D. DATA
Solar Data
Spectral Type: G0V
Diameter: 1.40x106 km (1.05 solar diameters)
Mass: 2.19x1030 km (1.1 solar masses)
Luminosity: 5.07x1026 W (1.3 solar luminosities)
Temperature: 6000 K
Planetary Data
Planet Distance from sun Length of year Mass Diameter Moons
Ranald 0.38 AU 84 days 3.31x1023 kg 5,000 km 0
Verena 0.73 AU 228 days 4.90x1024 kg 12,400 km 0
Erde 1.06 AU 400 days 7.53x1024 kg 14,774 km 2
Myrmidia 1.57 AU 719 days 6.37x1023 kg 7,000 km 2
Taal 5.29 AU 12.2 years 1.15x1028 kg 151,000 km 12
Ulric 9.98 AU 31.6 years 4.48x1027 kg 240,000 km 10
Shallya 19.70 AU 87 years 5.22x1026 kg 58,000 km 5
Manann 29.84 AU 163 years 6.17x1026 kg 51,000 km 3
Morr 38.76 AU 214 years 7.45x1022 kg 2,300 km 1
Lunar Data
Moon Distance from Erde Length of month Mass Diameter
Mannslieb 2.5x107 km 25 days 4.2x1023 kg 6,788 km
Morrslieb 3.4x107 km (mean) 40 days 4.4x1016 kg 1,200 km