Moons of Moons?

Hey Uber,

You remember that massive planet you guys revealed recently? I was wondering, would it be possible in the game you are building to have a planet that size as a moon of a Gas giant or something, with it's own moons as well? I think it would be really neat to build nested systems like that, and really anything of a sufficient gravity in reality could catch things in their orbit. Nothing stops humans from building satellites or getting asteroids that orbit the moon which orbits Earth which Orbits the sun which orbits the galactic center etc...

It'd be incredibly rare for such a thing to happen (We haven't found a real life example yet)

A Moon might be big enough to capture an asteroid as a satellite, but Moons don't have "Sub-Moons".

http://curious.astro.cornell.edu/questi ... number=679

answer: 4sure

Umm, that article says that Our moon can definitely NOT have a sub-satellite, not for very long at least due to tidal interference.

And again, yes it's "possible" for other moons to maybe have sub-satellites... Still waiting to find a real world example though.

DO you mean a form of satellite orbiting a moon? I think (and only think) these are called "moonlets".

So in order for it to work, the Big moon (with little moons around it) just needs to be like Triton with a retrograde orbit (which is an orbit in the opposite direction to its planet's rotation) in order to forgo the tidal forces that would degrade the orbit of an object in it's Hill sphere. Correct?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triton_(moon)

While there may be some evidence that if the orbit of a moon operates in a certain way, it could support a sub-moon, this may be a bit more complicated than Uber wants to deal with. The real question is, will PA support nested orbits and to what depth? Also, if they do, are the orbits required to be stable or can we set up a system with a planet who's moon's orbit will degrade and impact the planet within, say 2 hours?

Realism in this case is irrelevant.

Arbitrary orbits will be allowed as much as possible.

Realism is always relevant. Start stretching it too far and you alienate more people than you attract.

The only "realistic" way to destroy a Gas-Giant should be a Death Star.
The only "realistic" way to get sub-satellites around a moon should be artificially
(Using engines to put a small moon or asteroid into a new orbit)

artificially != impossible in game, thats just the mechanics of how. As for Gas Giants; That's just, like, your opinion... dude. A planet crashing into a gas giant is gonna mess stuff up and blow matter all over the place.

Science tells me that is very unlikely. Very... very unlikely.

We're having an unofficial discussion about Suns and Gas-Giants over here.
There's a LOT of science going on in that thread.

S'epic. :geek:

Photosensitive seizure warning

A very small percentage of people may experience a seizure when exposed to certain visual images, including flashing lights or patterns that may appear in video games. Even people who have no history of seizures or epilepsy may have an undiagnosed condition that can cause these photosensitive epileptic seizures while watching video games.

These seizures may have a variety of symptoms, including lightheadedness, altered vision, eye or face twitching, jerking or shaking of arms or legs, disorientation, confusion, or momentary loss of awareness. Seizures may also cause loss of consciousness or convulsions that can lead to injury from falling down or striking nearby objects.

Immediately stop playing and consult a doctor if you experience any of these symptoms. Parents should watch for or ask their children about the above symptoms - children and teenagers are more likely than adults to experience these seizures.

The risk of photosensitive epileptic seizures may be reduced by taking the following precautions:

•Play in a well-lit room
•Do not play if you are drowsy or fatigued

If you or any of your relatives have a history of seizures or epilepsy, consult a doctor before playing.

Um, Thank you?

I'll be... careful...
:?

Edit: Now I know what you mean; :lol:
I see. Yes, that could be a problem.

Moons of moons?
BRILLIANT!! DO IT!!!!

Don't even try it. A Meme is NOT a defensible position.

PSA - Realism VS Awesome
Summary
This thread aims to educate on the complimentary nature of 'Awesome' and 'Realism' factors as opposed to them being mutually exclusive.

That's a problem for the map maker to deal with. It is not something that should be cut out of the game engine because "it might be used incorrectly!"

But should NOT be a base game trait that randomly generates often.
Do you understand where I've been coming from from the start?

Map Makers, to you I say; "Go Nuts".
I don't care what you make, because I have the choice of never having to see it.
Don't have it randomly generate within the base game often... if at all.

You'd break my suspension of disbelief and I would not have as much enjoyment with the game Uber has made because of this.

That's a bit of a selfish position to take, because I'd love to see it in the base game.

that's no moon of a moon