What would it look like?

Lt. Dan · Post by **Lt. Dan** » 2004-02-21 12:38am

What would an ISD look like whaen orbiting an earth like planet? Could we see it in the day?

Spanky The Dolphin · Post by **Spanky The Dolphin** » 2004-02-21 12:42am

It would look like an ISD orbiting earth, although probably as a light bluish-white cutout.

Howedar · Post by **Howedar** » 2004-02-21 02:00am

An ISD in LEO (say 160km) would appear to be about twice as long as the moon is wide if my math is right.

Crayz9000 · Post by **Crayz9000** » 2004-02-21 02:01am

Howedar wrote:An ISD in LEO (say 160km) would appear to be about twice as long as the moon is wide if my math is right.

I'm seeing a shitload of panicking people and governments.

Rogue 9 · Post by **Rogue 9** » 2004-02-21 02:02am

Howedar wrote:An ISD in LEO (say 160km) would appear to be about twice as long as the moon is wide if my math is right.

A 1.6 km object would appear that big at 160 km?

Wild Karrde · Post by **Wild Karrde** » 2004-02-21 02:27am

Something like this.

Oops...well perhaps a wee bit higher then that, but you get the idea.

Howedar · Post by **Howedar** » 2004-02-21 03:28am

Rogue 9 wrote:
Howedar wrote:An ISD in LEO (say 160km) would appear to be about twice as long as the moon is wide if my math is right.
A 1.6 km object would appear that big at 160 km?

Oops, forgot to double one of the angles. The ISD would appear slightly longer than the moon is wide.

GySgt. Hartman · Post by **GySgt. Hartman** » 2004-02-21 10:32am

Does an ISD have the ability to descend this far into the atmosphere? AFAIK Victories can only enter the upper levels of a planets atmosphere, which sets a lower limit of 50 - 80 km, depending on which model you use.
The exosphere, which is still part of the upper level of the atmosphere begins at ~600km. So I doubt that an ISD could descend lower that ~600 km.
At 640 km, it would still appear to be be about a quarter as long as the moon, thus being quite visible. If you want to impress people, use a Victory and have it descend to ~90 km, where it would appear to be moon-sized (if it's not covered by clouds).

Lt. Dan · Post by **Lt. Dan** » 2004-02-21 02:52pm

Ah, ok. Thanks guys.

nightmare · Post by **nightmare** » 2004-02-21 03:20pm

GySgt. Hartman wrote:Does an ISD have the ability to descend this far into the atmosphere?

Not according to WEG stats, but in DE2, the Invincible was hovering just above Nar Shaddaa's control tower.

Tribun · Post by **Tribun** » 2004-02-21 03:23pm

This is a command ship, seen from the planet, when it is in orbit (but don't know how high).

The picture is down in the cathegory "Broken Allegiance".

Embracer Of Darkness · Post by **Embracer Of Darkness** » 2004-02-21 07:29pm

I imagine that it would look like this screenshot I took in Star Wars Galaxies.

Yes, the stars are in front of them, stupid devs.

Lord Pounder · Post by **Lord Pounder** » 2004-02-21 08:41pm

A screenie like that makes me almost sorry i left Galaxies.

I would imagine i ISD or SSD just looks like a small triangle in the sky, if it's not covered by clouds. I think Ton and Face see the Iron Fist in one of the Wraith Books, the scene just before Ton died.

Ender · Post by **Ender** » 2004-02-21 09:08pm

nightmare wrote:
GySgt. Hartman wrote:Does an ISD have the ability to descend this far into the atmosphere?
Not according to WEG stats, but in DE2, the Invincible was hovering just above Nar Shaddaa's control tower.

That wasn't an ISD though, and the Impression I got was that the control tower was a space elevator, with the rest of the towers touching the upper reaches of the atmosphere.

YT300000 · Post by **YT300000** » 2004-02-21 09:31pm

Howedar wrote:An ISD in LEO (say 160km) would appear to be about twice as long as the moon is wide if my math is right.

What are the calcs for determining something's apparent size from its distance, and it's distance from its apparent size?

Howedar · Post by **Howedar** » 2004-02-22 12:05am

GySgt. Hartman wrote:Does an ISD have the ability to descend this far into the atmosphere? AFAIK Victories can only enter the upper levels of a planets atmosphere, which sets a lower limit of 50 - 80 km, depending on which model you use.
The exosphere, which is still part of the upper level of the atmosphere begins at ~600km. So I doubt that an ISD could descend lower that ~600 km.
At 640 km, it would still appear to be be about a quarter as long as the moon, thus being quite visible. If you want to impress people, use a Victory and have it descend to ~90 km, where it would appear to be moon-sized (if it's not covered by clouds).

The amount of air at 160km is quite negligable. I see no reason why an ISD could not orbit there.

What are the calcs for determining something's apparent size from its distance, and it's distance from its apparent size?

Simple trigonometry.

Illuminatus Primus · Post by **Illuminatus Primus** » 2004-02-22 12:53am

Ender wrote:
nightmare wrote:
GySgt. Hartman wrote:Does an ISD have the ability to descend this far into the atmosphere?
Not according to WEG stats, but in DE2, the Invincible was hovering just above Nar Shaddaa's control tower.
That wasn't an ISD though, and the Impression I got was that the control tower was a space elevator, with the rest of the towers touching the upper reaches of the atmosphere.

That was an Allegiance? It looked like an ISD to me.

Wild Karrde · Post by **Wild Karrde** » 2004-02-22 01:30am

It couldn't have been an Allegiance-class because the tower peirced through the hangar, something the Allegiance-class lacks.

Lt. Dan · Post by **Lt. Dan** » 2004-02-22 02:19pm

Simple trigonometry.

Is there such a thing?

GySgt. Hartman · Post by **GySgt. Hartman** » 2004-02-22 05:51pm

Howedar wrote:The amount of air at 160km is quite negligable. I see no reason why an ISD could not orbit there.

How about "because the ISB said so"?

nightmare · Post by **nightmare** » 2004-02-22 08:33pm

Ender wrote:
nightmare wrote:
GySgt. Hartman wrote:Does an ISD have the ability to descend this far into the atmosphere?
Not according to WEG stats, but in DE2, the Invincible was hovering just above Nar Shaddaa's control tower.
That wasn't an ISD though, and the Impression I got was that the control tower was a space elevator, with the rest of the towers touching the upper reaches of the atmosphere.

Stated to be a Star Destroyer and looks like an ISD. The control tower was only sucked up to the ship as the spine broke off. It was ground connected alright.

Illuminatus Primus · Post by **Illuminatus Primus** » 2004-02-22 08:41pm

Yeah, and that disproves his point how? Space elevators are ground-connected; he was just saying that the towers and buildings in the control tower's vicinity reached to low-orbit.

nightmare · Post by **nightmare** » 2004-02-22 09:09pm

Illuminatus Primus wrote:Yeah, and that disproves his point how? Space elevators are ground-connected; he was just saying that the towers and buildings in the control tower's vicinity reached to low-orbit.

That doesn't fit any definition of a space elevator I have seen. A skyhook is a space elevator. The control tower was a building with a thin spine. Nor did either the ship or the tower suffer from decompression when it was ripped off and sucked crashing into the ship, needle first.

Illuminatus Primus · Post by **Illuminatus Primus** » 2004-02-22 09:24pm

nightmare wrote:That doesn't fit any definition of a space elevator I have seen. A skyhook is a space elevator. The control tower was a building with a thin spine. Nor did either the ship or the tower suffer from decompression when it was ripped off and sucked crashing into the ship, needle first.

No, a skyhook is moored by a space elevator.

Why would the ship experience decompression? Hits on ISDs don't cause major decompression, and the giant tower would punch through very dense armor; I doubt there'd be much gap for escaping air, even disregarding magcon fields, which seem to be basic technology.

So, we know they can build, and do build super-high structures. We know the ISD isn't supposed to be able to enter the atmosphere.

In order to resolve the apparent contradiction, which one bends? I think this is quite obvious.

nightmare · Post by **nightmare** » 2004-02-23 02:30pm

Illuminatus Primus wrote:No, a skyhook is moored by a space elevator.

Meh, the cable is only part of a space elevator.

Illuminatus Primus wrote:Why would the ship experience decompression? Hits on ISDs don't cause major decompression, and the giant tower would punch through very dense armor; I doubt there'd be much gap for escaping air, even disregarding magcon fields, which seem to be basic technology.

Because this wasn't a combat situation for it, and that fricken needle punched right through the very dense armor like a bbq spit through a chicken.

Illuminatus Primus wrote:So, we know they can build, and do build super-high structures.

We do. We also know they don't reach into orbit. Skyhooks do, and they float above the regular cityscape. That's one of their main points.

Illuminatus Primus wrote:We know the ISD isn't supposed to be able to enter the atmosphere.

By WEG. You would do better to claim that this particular ISD was an exception to the rule.

Illuminatus Primus wrote:In order to resolve the apparent contradiction, which one bends? I think this is quite obvious.

I go the other way around - I form my conclusion based on the evidence at hand.