How many stars in a 20^3 ly area?

[Phoenix]

Ok, I'm having a little trouble trying to figure out just how many stars there should by in 20 cubic light-year area, and please don't say as many as the story calls for. Also how many of them should have planets? Etc... What I have other than star systems is a Mid-sized nebula, a rogue planet, and possibly a small singularity type object. As far as species in the area go, I have three native (one pre warp, but...) and two (or more) transplanted.

The sector (called "Hadnido") is located on the anti-Federation side of Cardassian space, just for GP.

Phoenix...


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"Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake."
-Napoleon

[StyroFoam Man]

This message has been removed on request by the
poster

[Aldaron]

How many stars in a sector?

42.

Forty-two! Wait! That's it! That's the question and the answer! That's...uh oh...hang on.

Oh, damn.

The universe just ceased to exist, and has been replaced by something even more bizarre and inexplicable.

We now return you to your regular programming...

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"Every atom in our bodies was forged in the furnace of ancient stars - it is our destiny to return home..."

[Eric R.]

most stars seem to be spaced about 5 lys roughly apart. That would give a figure like 125 stars per sector of course most of these would be unimportant and only about 10 or 12 of any real significance.

[SIR SIG]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by StyroFoam Man:
The person to ask would be SIRSIG, but he seems to have droped off the face of the boards.
</font>

Well perhaps the face of the Internet

A standard sector in fed space usually includes 6-12 'decent' star systems that would have a number of planets.

Of these one could expect to find perhaps 1 M class world in 3-4 of these systems.

Ask for a few more specifics and I'll help 'cause I'm also an Astronomer/Cosmologer etc.

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SIRSIG
AKA: SirPostalot
AKA: The MapMaker
AKA: The Trek Cartographer
AKA:...Well I could keep going forever

[Owen E Oulton]

According to the article at <a href="http://www.britannica.com/eb/article?eu=119851&tocid=68086#68086.toc">Britannic a.com</a>, stellar density in this neck of the Galaxy is about .004 stars per cubic light year, or about 1 star in 250 cubic light years. In a standard 20x20x20ly sector, with a volume of 8000ly³, there will be an average of 32 stars. As has been pointed out, the LUGTrek rules call for about 10 of these to be of interest (I use 1d6+7 for a range of 8-13 when creating sector maps).

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[Phoenix]

Styro, I just let the players write the story, I throw a few hook in every now and then...to give direction to the game...kinda like letting Pat Stwart write the script and Levar Burton direct, but having Bragga standing by to add a little nudge every now and then.

All in all though, I need to have a fairly detailed area for the players to explore... "The reason they joined Starfleet in the first place"

Sig, as far as a "few more specifics" I'm thinking Sagittarius-arm rimward side at about the 210-220 degree area, more or less.

Well rambled enough...it's nite-nite time for me.

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"Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake."
-Napoleon

[John Raynor]

It would be better to ask:

a) How many star systems lie within the
"average" sector.

first, and then ask:

b) What fraction of star systems have only
one star, what fraction are binary, what
fraction are trinary, and so forth...

For extra fun with astrochartography, work
out tables for randomly determining the number of small, cool, dim, reddish class-M
stars, the number of hospitable yellowish class-G stars (like Sol), the number of large, hot, bright, class-A stars, the number
of white dwarfs, and so on...

Actually, I worked out a set of tables to
do this, but they're at home... I'll try to
remember to bring them in tomorrow, and post
them.

[Sho-sa Kurita]

A bit OT here, but I'd like to ask SIR SIG an astronomy question, if he doesn't mind:

Got a handy formula for figuring conjunctions between a random number of celestial bodies? Make it as complicated as you like.

- DP

[SIR SIG]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Sho-sa Kurita:
A bit OT here, but I'd like to ask SIR SIG an astronomy question, if he doesn't mind:

Got a handy formula for figuring conjunctions between a random number of celestial bodies? Make it as complicated as you like.

- DP</font>

Not exactly handy, no.

But how would you want one? With planets in superior conjuction with respect to a random planet all in the same system? Or with just any celestial body within a system? Then there's random stuff like asteroids etc.

Or perhaps something more obscure between whole systems in a sector?

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SIRSIG
AKA: SirPostalot
AKA: The MapMaker
AKA: The Trek Cartographer
AKA:...Well I could keep going forever

[Sho-sa Kurita]

I guess I did leave that question more than a little vague, but your first stab at reading my mind was correct:

With planets in superior conjuction with respect to a random planet all in the same system?



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He whose generals are able and not interfered with by the sovereign shall be victorious.

[StyroFoam Man]

This message has been removed on request by the
poster

[SIR SIG]

He He

That would take quite a bit of calculation. And I don't have one personally.
I'd be inclined to try down the track but not just now

Perhaps something on the net?

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SIRSIG
AKA: SirPostalot
AKA: The MapMaker
AKA: The Trek Cartographer
AKA:...Well I could keep going forever

[Phantom]

WHAT are you guys talking about?!?

[Sho-sa Kurita]

Thanks Sig,

I knew it would be pretty nasty, but don't worry about it, I'm sure I can track something down. I was just taking the "easy" way out. Two bodies is easy. Beyond that it gets crazy, but I love wacky calculus.

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He whose generals are able and not interfered with by the sovereign shall be victorious.