Time Scale for Maping the Sol System...

Hi Guys,

I'm working on mapping the Sol System and had a few questions; but first a
quick summary:

This will be most appropriate for Jovian Chronicales / Gundam style
campaigns...

The map out to Jupiter is printable on 8.5x11 paper (un-fortunately
Jupiter looses about 2" of its orbit on either side, but this can be fixed
with a protractor). There are no hexes, scale is 2mm = 0.1 au. The outer map
(IF I do it) will be scaled to 2mm = 1.0 au. Movement is regulated by vectors
draw on the map in pencil. I plan on using mechanicl 0.3 mm pencils, 2H lead
(lighter) for plots, HB lead (darker) for actual vectors. Thrust changes would
be accomplished with a drafting metric circle template. Each point of thrust
will allow you to change your vector 1mm. Draw your projected future position
the same length and direction as your current vector, place the circle
template with the thrust using x 2 in mm centered on the head of your
projected future position. Pick any point on the inside the circle. Then draw
your new current vector from the old current vector to that point. I plan to
do detailed planetary system maps for planets with major moons.

Questions:

I'm debating about time scales per strategic turn (when every thing rotates).
It would be much easier to do 2 months per turn, but that would mean Mercury
and Venus would have to rotate two ticks per turn (this has to do with time
required for them to each make on orbit. Any other ideas how to handle this???
(Going to 1 month per turn is not an option. I don't want to do 3,000 tick
marks for Pluto...)

What should be the cut off for asteroid/moon size.  I'm thinking 500 km
radius, this make a big difference in stuff to keep track of. If you drop the
size down to 200 km (most objects this size and larger are spherical) the
number goes through the ruff. 300 km radius will roughly double record keeping
from 500 km.

500 km radius:
    3 asteroids

300 km radius:
    7 asteroids
    1 centaur

200 km radius:
    21 asteroids
    3 centaurs

Any preferences? Rember the more there is the more to keep track of.

Any general comments???

> "Imre A. Szabo" wrote:
Any
> other ideas how to handle this??? (Going to 1 month per turn is not

> Nyrath the nearly wise wrote:

> In the designers notes for SPI's BATTLEFLEET MARS,

The square root of the Earth year, or about 19 days. Won't help Imre since the
BFM map only covers the Solar system out to Jupiter, though.

Regards,

> Oerjan Ohlson wrote:

Well, the sad fact of the matter is that the solar system is made on two
scales, one for the inner planets, one on the outer.

You will notice this if you look at any to scale diagram of the solar system.
The planets out to Mars are generally shown on a magnified insert.
e.g.,
http://seds.lpl.arizona.edu/nineplanets/nineplanets/overview.html

> Nyrath the nearly wise wrote:

> Oerjan Ohlson wrote:

Actually, I could do it with one scale, but it will be HUGE and mostly empty.
For example, if I did it in 1mm = 0.1 au, I would need a printable area 36x36
inches to print it. Not many people have access to plotters; and I really
don't want to use 20 8.5x11 inch sheets of paper for the map...
 My
current prototype is scaled from the Sun to Jupiter in 3mm = 0.1 au, and from
Jupiter to Pluto in 3mm = 1 au. This will print on 4 8.5x14 inch sheets. Each
map is two 8.5x14 inch sheets. Time scale is 2 month per period inner scale,
20 month per period outer scale. This is the best compromise I can come up
with (and I have to do only 148 orbital ticks for Pluto). This makes the scale
difference consistent. Only Mercury and Venus are glaring problems, and my fix
is to put in thier orbital tick marks at one per month and then move them two
place per turn.

IAS

> There is a representative quote from THE SPACE BEYOND