Astronomy Basics

What is astronomy?

Astronomy is the scientific study of celestial objects and phenomena beyond Kerbin's atmosphere (AKA outer space), including stars, planets, moons, comets, galaxies, and the universe itself. It explores how these objects form, move, and interact through physics, chemistry, and mathematics, helping us understand the origins and structure of the cosmos, the nature of light and gravity, and Kerbin's place in the vast expanse of space.

The Solar System

The Solar System contains 8 planets and 2 major dwarf planets. They are, in order to the Sun/Kerbol (our star):

1. Moho

2. Eve

3. Kerbin

4. Duna

5. Dres (dwarf planet, might not exist)

6. Jool

7. Sarnus

8. Urlum

9. Neidon

10. Plock (dwarf planet)

We will go on now to explain each of the planets (not dwarf planets) in the Kerbol system and give an overview on them.

Moho is the first planet from Kerbol, and the second hottest in the whole solar system. It has no atmosphere; no air. As said by the Kerbal Astronomical Society, "Moho figures in Kerbal mythology as a fiery place with oceans of flowing lava. In reality however, it's much less interesting. Scientists speculate about possible ways to make it 'awesome like in the stories'. Some of those ideas have led to new breakthroughs in aerospace technology. "

Eve is the second planet from Kerbol and the hottest in the entire system. It has one moon, a captured asteroid, named Gilly. It has an extreme greenhouse effect caused by its extremely thick and dense atmosphere. Aerobraking and trying to return to Kerbin from it is one of the most dangerous things you can do.

Kerbin is the third planet from Kerbol and of course, the only one confirmed to have life so far. It also is the only known true planet to have liquid water on its surface. It has two moons, the Mun and Minmus.

Duna is the fourth planet from Kerbol, commonly referred to as The Red Planet. Its surface is red due to iron compounds like iron oxides, otherwise known as rust. It has one moon, called Ike.

Jool is the fifth planet from Kerbol and the first gas giant from it, meaning it has no solid surface. It is harder to reach from Kerbin thanks to its distance from us, but still easily enough possible. It has 5 moons: Laythe, Vall, Tylo, Bop, and Pol. Laythe is the most interesting; it appears to have liquid water and potentially breathable air. We'd have to go there to find out though.

Sarnus is the sixth planet from Kerbol and the second gas giant, and it has a beautiful ring system. It has some moons like Eeloo and Tekto, both fascinating.

Urlum is the seventh planet from Kerbol and third gas giant, being this time a unique blue color, from all the methane in its atmosphere. It also has a ring system, albeit, a far smaller one. It has 4 moons.

Neidon is the eighth and last planet from Kerbol, fourth and last gas giant. With striking deep blue colors, it truly is a spectacle. However, it's very difficult to visit thanks to its incredibly far distance from Kerbol.

What are these objects?

We will now list off objects found across the Universe, and tell you what they are.

Stars

Stars are (usually) very large and hot balls of gases that make their light and warmth through something called nuclear fusion. They usually burn hydrogen and isotopes of hydrogen (like Deuterium) and helium. They are extremely energetic and violent most of the time, and yet, they are the reasons solar systems like ours and others exist. Each point of light you can see with your bare eyes in the sky is almost always a star. But let's take a star closer to home; the Sun/Kerbol. Believe it or not, the Sun is one of those points of light, except we are far closer to it, and therefore, it's far brighter. The Sun is a star close to Kerbin and the only reason Kerbin has life. Why? Light + warmth = photosynthesis. And it's also the fact why any of the planets spin around the Sun at all. If it wasn't there, there would be no gravitational pull and planets would not orbit the Sun. So thank stars and the Sun in particular, because without it, life wouldn't exist.

Galaxy

A galaxy is a vast collection of stars and dust that come in many shapes and sizes; some include spiral, elliptical, and irregular. Here, we will talk about spiral galaxies, since the one we are in is a spiral galaxy. Spiral galaxies look like spirals, as you could have guessed. Below is a picture of one. In all galaxies, in what's known as the galactic core, lies something called a black hole. This center is where every star in the entire galaxy spins around. The stars at the edges get a little flung out, and thus create a spiral-looking shape. This spin is also why spiral galaxies are flat.

How We Explore Space

Space is cool. That's the whole reason we made the KSA; to explore everything about it, find new things to be able to go to and find even more out from there. A self-repeating loop. The only reason we explore space is because it's cool! But how do we actually explore space? What do we use? How do we do it? What are these new things we are making? You'll find out here.

Basics of Rocketry

It was quite hard to figure out rockets, but they are simple once you know how they work. There are generally 2 types of rocket engines you can make:

1. Solid rocket engines: These engines are made of solid fuel and burn like a match. You ignite it, usually from the bottom, and then the flame slowly creeps up the solid fuel (usually made of black powder mix and/or ammonium nitrate) while also expelling hot gas at high speeds out of the nozzle on the other end, pushing the rocket up.

2. Liquid fuel engines: The KSA usually uses these. They use liquid instead of solid propellant. The liquid is usually composed of a fuel and oxidizer, like standard grade Kerosene liquid fuel and liquid oxygen, the best oxidizer because it's literally pure oxygen. They work in a similar way to solid fuel rockets but not really... They work by mixing those two liquids in a combustion chamber and then igniting them with a spark, which in the same way as solid fuel, the hot gas is then expelled out the nozzle at the bottom, again, pushing the rocket.

But engines aren't the only thing that make rockets work. It also requires complex computerized systems, stabilization systems, RCS, skilled pilots, and much more. But now, we should go into some of the KSA's most popular missions and see how they worked and what they did!

• Mungram Program: The Mungram was the KSA's first major space program and the only reason Kerbals ever went to the Mun. They went to the Mun, landed, did some cool research and experiments, and then went back to Kerbin. It was the first mission ever sent to the Mun.

• Voyagance 1: The first true meant-to-be interstellar space mission ever launched. It visited Jool, Sarnus, Urlum, and Neidon and is now somewhere in the outer reaches of the Kerman Belt, past the orbit of the dwarf planet Plock.

• Kerman Space Telescope: A telescope, in space; specifically Low Kerbin Orbit. Exactly what it sounds like. This telescope is wide for a nice, crisp view of everything out there.

FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)

1. Q: What's the difference between astronomy and astrology? A: Astronomy is science; astrology is a belief system for stupid people to believe in, A.K.A pseudoscience.

2. Q: How old is the universe? A: About 13.8 billion years old.

3. Q: What is a light-year? A: The distance light travels in a year.

4. Q: What really is a black hole? A: No one truly knows why they exist, but we do know they are regions of space so incredibly dense, that nothing, not even light, can escape.

5. Q: What's a dwarf planet? A: For something to be a planet it has to meet three requirements: One, it is big enough to be round, two, it must orbit the Sun, and three, it must have cleared its orbit of any substantial debris. Most dwarf planets only meet the first two criteria, and thus, are not planets.

6. Q: What are exoplanets? A: Planets that orbit a star outside our solar system.

7. Q: What is a supernova? A: A massive explosion that occurs when a star runs out of fuel and collapses or detonates.

8. Q: What's dark matter? A: An invisible substance that cannot be seen but can be felt. It makes up about 27% of the mass-energy in the universe.

9. Q: What's dark energy? A: The force causing the universe's expansion to speed up, let alone exist at all.

10. Q: Will the Sun ever die? A: Yes; in about 4-5 billion years, the Sun will swell to a red giant and collapse into a white dwarf. It will not go supernova, though.

What's Next?

Space exploration has only just begun; imagine the heights we could go to in the future! We are going to start living in the future very soon indeed. In fact, here is a beautiful visual cinematic representation of what we could achieve in the future, put together by one of the KSA's most talented cinematographers. Enjoy!