Astrophysics for authors
This prompted by recently seen errors in books.
If you are writing SF involving interstellar travel, you need to know a few things about stellar types.
First off, the "colors" of stars used in descriptions by astronomers are *not* the actual colors. "Red stars" have more red in the spectrum, but are not what normal people would call red.
( Read more... )
Next biggie is that you have to consider not just stellar type (OBAFGKM) when deciding where to put a habitable planet, but also "size" (dwarf, giant, etc)
( Read more... )
Now we get to orbits. Both planetary and those of moons.
( Read more... )
If you are writing SF involving interstellar travel, you need to know a few things about stellar types.
First off, the "colors" of stars used in descriptions by astronomers are *not* the actual colors. "Red stars" have more red in the spectrum, but are not what normal people would call red.
( Read more... )
Next biggie is that you have to consider not just stellar type (OBAFGKM) when deciding where to put a habitable planet, but also "size" (dwarf, giant, etc)
( Read more... )
Now we get to orbits. Both planetary and those of moons.
( Read more... )