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Insight System - Blog Posts
Pictures of the day - December 27, 2018
Parting Shots of the Insight A and Insight B Systems, Alien Skies.
Now that all of the worlds of the Insight A and Insight B systems have been revealed, here are some parting shots before I begin my exploration of new star systems.
Space Engine System ID: RS 5581-42-6-76887-1116
High Resolution Pictures
Insight B-IV-M3 sky
Insight A-VII Sky
Insight A-V Sky
Insight A-IV-M8 Sky
Insight B-V Sky
Insight B-VI-M2 Sky
Insight B-I Sky
Picture of the day - December 26, 2018
Insight A System - Ninth Planet (Insight A-IX)
Insight A-IX is the Insight A systems second largest and second most massive planet. It is an ice giant 17.40 times more massive than Earth, and has a radius of 3.28 Earth Radii. The planet is surrounded by a narrow yet well structured ring system, and a system of 6 small ellipsoidal satellites.
The planet orbits it’s sun at an average distance of 7.34 AU, completing 1 orbit every 18.35 Years. A day on the planet lasts just 9 hours and 6 minutes. The planet has a thick hydrogen/ helium atmosphere, and has an average atmospheric temperature of -279 F.
High Resolution Pictures
Insight A-IX
Small moon
Narrow Rings
Ring Closeup
Crescent
Pictures of the Day - December 25, 2018 (Merry Christmas)
Insight A System - Either Planet (Insight A-VIII)
Insight A-VIII is the eighth planet orbiting Insight A. It is an ice-giant with a mass 15.46 times that of Earth, and a diameter of 3.19 Earths. The planet has unusually pronounced cloud bands, and a wide-spaced ring system. It orbits it’s sun at an average distance of 4.01 AU, completing 1 orbit every 7.41 Years.
This planet has an active atmosphere with an average temperature of -213 F, and a day on the planet last 11 hours and 6 minus. 5 moons orbit the planet that are large enough to be rounded by their own gravity, including 4 larger than 2,000 kilometers across.
High Resolution Pictures
Insight A-VIII
Transiting Moon
Closeup
Asteroid Moon
View from outer-most large moon
Pictures of the day - December 24, 2018
Insight A System - Seventh Planet (Insight A-VII)
Insight A-VII is a cold super-Earth and largest rocky planet orbiting Insight A. The planet has a mass of 3.10 Earths, and a diameter 53% larger than Earth. It orbit’s its sun at an average distance of 1.97 AU, completing an orbit once every 2.55 years. A day lasts only 13 hours and 20 minutes.
The surface is covered in a carbon dioxide atmosphere with a surface pressure of 1.73 atmospheres, and an average surface temperature of -105 F. The atmosphere is extremely cloudy with clouds of water-ice and dry ice. An extensive system of rings orbit’s the planet, and a large moon.
High Resolution Pictures
Insight A-VII
Closeup
Duality
The Atmosphere
The Surface
Pictures of the day - December 22, 2018
Insight System - Sixth Planet (Insight A-VI)
Insight A-Vi is an Earth-like water-world with a surface completely covered in oceans. The planet has a mass of 0.65 Earths and a diameter 0.97 times that of our planet. An extensive ring system surrounds the planet and the oceans contain simple signed-celled life.
The planet orbits at an average distance of 1.10 AU and a day on the surface lasts 18 hours and 31 minutes. Compared to the inner-worlds, Insight A-VI is rather cold with an average global temperature of 41 F. Still the oceans absorb enough heat that there are no ice caps at the poles, since ocean currents keep the water from freezing.
Note the inner two planets have comet like appearance from their atmospheres being strip away by the sun.
High Resolution Pictures
Insight A-VI
Three small moons
Rings
The sun and inner planets
Sunset
Planet rise
Picture of the day 2 - December 21, 2018
Dwarf planet it’s moon. Part of the Insight A System.
Pictures of the day - December 20, 2018
Insight A - Fifth Planet (Insight A-V)
Insight A-V is a hot earth-like planet with oceans. The planet does support marine life, but the surface is far too inhospitable for anything other than Extremophiles. The planet is much smaller and less massive than Earth at 0.14 Earth masses and a diameter roughly half that of Earth. The surface is very active with a hot atmosphere. The surface averages 161 F, with an atmosphere only 54% as thick of Earth’s that is dominated by carbon dioxide. The surface is so hot that there are no ice caps or even snow on mountain-tops.
The planet rotates backwards with an axial tilt of 148 degrees and a rotational rate of 24 hours and 21 minutes. No moons orbit the planet.
High Resolution Pictures
Insight A-V
Earth-Like World
Cyclone
The Surface
Polar orbit
Pictures of the day - December 19, 2018
Insight A System - Fourth Planet (Insight A-IV)
Insight A-IV is the fourth and largest planet orbiting Insight A. It is a large ice giant planet with a mass 41.38 times that of Earth and a diameter of 4.41 Earths. The planet has a hot atmosphere with a temperature of 297 F, which is dominated by hydrogen and helium. Additionally, a single large moon orbits the planet alongside 13 smaller asteroid-like satellites.
The planet orbits it’s sun at an average distance of 0.36 AU, completing an orbit once every 72.17 Earth Days. The planet is not tidally locked, but has a slow rotational rate of 288.70 Earth days, resulting in solar days that last 96.23 Earth days.
High Resolution Pictures
Insight A-IV
Stormy North Pole
Setting Sun
Crescents
View from the moon
Picture of the day - December 18, 2018
Polar vortex over the northern pole of Insight A-II
Pictures of the day - December 16, 2018
Insight A System - 3rd Planet (Insight A-III)
Insight A-III is the third planet orbiting Insight A. It is a hot Ice-giant orbiting it’s sun at an average distance of 0.12 AU. The planet’s atmosphere has a temperature of 960 F and it’s atmosphere lacks any type of define cloud decks. This is a helium ice giant, meaning that it has lost all of it’s hydrogen and the atmosphere is dominated by helium instead. As a result, the planet has a monochromatic color.
Insight A-III has a mass of 13.22 Earths, and a diameter of 4.03 times that of Earth. The planet is tidally locked to it’s sun and orbits the sun once every 14.76 Earth days.
High Resolution Pictures
Insight A-III
Lunar View
Asteroid Moon
Blinding Sun and Inner Planets
Pictures of the Day - December 15, 2018
Insight A System - Second Planet (Insight A-II)
Insight A-II is the second planet orbiting Insight A. It is a Venus-like planet shrouded in a thick carbon dioxide and water vapor atmosphere 716 times thicker than Earth’s. The surface temperature averages 1,980 F, and most of the surface is covered in molten rock.
The planet orbits just 0.07 AU from the sun, completing an orbit once every 6.72 Earth days. Insight A-II is a super-earth with a mass 2.66 times that of Earth and a radius of 1.15 Earths.
High Resolution Pictures
Insight A-II
Comet-like planet
The Atmosphere
The Surface
Pictures of the Day - December 14, 2018
Insight A System - Inner-Most Planet (Insight A-I)
The Inner-most planet is a baked world orbiting perilously close to its sun at a distance of just 0.04 AU. The planet has a mass of roughly 0.56 Earth Masses and a diameter 93% that of Earth. It is rocky desert world. A thick carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide atmosphere covers the surface with an atmospheric pressure 10 times that of Earth.
Surface temperatures are extreme, reaching 1,800 F during the day. At these temperatures some surface rocks melt into lakes of magma and the surface glows a dull red at night. The atmosphere also contains clouds composed of liquid glass droplets. Despite it’s close orbital proximity to the sun, it is not tidally locked. The planet has a moderately elliptical orbit with an eccentricity of 0.10. This results in a 3 to 2 orbit to spin resonance. In other words the planet completes three rotations for every 2 orbits, just like the planet Mercury.
BTW Everyone, it looks like Space Engine version 0.999 is probably going to be released sometime soon, probably before the end of the year. Can’t wait to start taking pics in it.
High Resolution Pictures
Insight A-I
From a Glowing Asteroid Moon
Atmospheric Glow
Sunrise
Insight A System (Outer 4 Planets)
Here are the outer 4 planets orbiting Insight A. Each planet has a large ring systems.
Insight A-VI (0.65 Earth masses, Water World with life, 1.10 AU)
Insight A-VII (3.10 Earth masses, Cold Desert World, 1.97 AU)
Insight A-VIII (15.46 Earth Masses, Ice Giant, 4.01 AU)
Insight A-IX (17.40 Earth Masses, Ice Giant, 7.34 AU)
Space Engine System ID: RS-5581-42-6-76887-1116 A
Picture of the day - December 12, 2018
Moon rise over Insight B-V. The second sun is also visible in this pic.
Insight A System (Inner 5 Planets)
First post of the Insight A system. Insight A is the larger or primary of Insight’s 2 stars. The Insight System is a wide-spaced binary system consisting of a type G1V and type K5V star that orbit one another at an average distance of 192.3 AU once every 2,432 years. Insight A is 1.6 times the luminosity of our sun, and Insight B just 1/6th that of our sun.
Below are the first five worlds orbiting Insight A.
Insight A-I (0.56 Earth Masses - Rocky, 0.04 AU)
Insight A-II (2.66 Earth Masses, Rocky Super Earth, 0.07 AU)
Insight A-III (13.22 Earth Mass, Ice-Giant, 0.12 AU)
Insight A-IV (41.38 Earth Masses, Ice Giant, 0.36 AU)
Insight A-V (0.14 Earth Masses, Rocky with Liquid Water, 0.69 AU)
Picture of the day - December 11, 2018
Preview picture of the Insight A system. Rocky moon transits across the face of an ice giant.
Picture of the day - December 10, 2018
The cracked surface of Insight B-VI’s fourth moon.
New pics of the Insight A system coming soon.
Pictures of the day 2 - December 9, 2018
Insight B System - Moons of the sixth planet
Here we have a few views of the system’s sixth planet viewed from the surfaces of the three inner-most moons.
High Resolution Pictures
View from the inner-most moon
View from the second moon
View from the third moon
Picture of the day - December 9, 2018
One of Insight B-VI’s smaller outer moons crossing the face of a large cyclone.
Picture of the day 2 - December 8, 2018.
The sun begins to set over a large lunar crater. Image from the surface of one of Insight B-VI’s smaller outer moons.
Pictures of the day - December 8, 2018
Insight B System - Sixth Planet’s (Insight B-VI) Major Moons
Three large terrestrial-sized moons orbit Insight B-VI, all of them being roughly halfway between the size of Mars and Venus. Lunar Stats Below.
Insight B-VI-M2 (Second Moon) Radius = 4,567.71 km (0.72 x Earth) Mass = 0.24 Earth Masses Atmosphere = 0.13 Atmospheres/ Ammonia, Sulfur Dioxide, Methane, and Carbon Dioxide
Insight B-VI-M3 (Third Moon) Radius = 5,672.06 km (0.89 x Earth) Mass = 0.31 Earth Masses Atmosphere = 0.23 Atmospheres/ Carbon Dioxide, Methane and Acetylene
Insight B-VI-M4 (Fourth moon) Radius = 5,786.11 km (0.91 x Earth) Mass = 0.40 Earth Masses Atmosphere = 0.01 Atmospheres/ Methane, Carbon Dioxide and Nitrogen
High Resolution Pictures
All Three Major Moons
Insight B-VI-M2 (Second Moon)
insight B-VI-M3 (Third Moon)
Insight B-VI-M4 (Fourth Moon)
Picture of the day - December 7, 2018
Insight B-VI viewed from the surface of its 4th moon.
Pictures of the day 2 - December 4, 2018
Insight B System - Sixth Planet (Insight B-VI)
Insight B-VI is the outer-most planet orbiting Insight B. The planet is a Jupiter-Sized gas giant with a mass of 1.42 Jupiter Masses, and a radius of 74,962 kilometers. A thick carbon-rich ring system surround the planet.
Insight B-VI orbits its sun at an average distance of 1.74 AU, completing an orbit once every 2.79 Earth Years. A day on the planet lasts only 8 hours and 7 minutes. It is a frigid giant, the atmosphere of which averages -258 F. Monstrous storms rage in the planet’s atmosphere, powered by internally released heat.
The planet is the only world in the system to by surrounded by a major lunar system. Three massive moons larger than Mars orbit the planet, along with 3 smaller rounded satellites, and 74 asteroid-like moons.
High Resolution Pictures
Insight B-VI
South Pole
Giant Storm
Inner-most Major Moon.
Approaching Eclipse
Picture of the day - December 6, 2018
Another picture of the fifth planet of the Insight B system.
Pictures of the day - December 5, 2018
I apologize for my lack pictures yesterday.
Insight B System - Fourth Planet - Insight B-V
The fifth planet orbiting Insight B is a terrestrial-like planet roughly one quarter the mass of earth (0.27 Earth Masses) and 80% of Earth’s radius (5,093.84 km). It is predominately rocky world with a significant water content in its mantle, surrounded by a thin Carbon Dioxide atmosphere.
The surface is cold with an average temperature of -159 F, and an atmospheric pressure of 0.11 atmospheres. A single small spherical satellite orbits the planet. One day lasts approximately 23 hours 38 mins. Insight B-V orbits its sun at an average distance of 0.97 AU, completing an orbit once every 1.163 Earth Years. The planet is notable for having a retrograde rotation, orbiting almost on its side with an axial tilt of 104°. Considering the planet orbits between two gas giants, the extreme tilt is to be expected.
High Resolution Pictures
Insight B-V
Small Moon
Closeup
Day-time sky
Sunset
Pictures of the day - December 2, 2018
Insight System - Third Planet orbiting Insight B (Insight B-III)
Insight B-III is the giant of the Insight System, being the most massive planet of both of the system’s stars. It is a massive gas giant the nears the boundary with a brown dwarf at 11.75 Jupiter masses. The planet has an active atmosphere from both solar heating and internally released heat and has an average atmospheric temperature of 147 F.
The planet orbits the sun at an average distance of 0.21 AU, and completes an orbit once every 41.33 days. The planet is not quite tidally locked with a rotational rate of 41.67 days vs its orbital period of 41.33 days. As a result, a solar day on the planet lasts 14.00 Earth years.
No major satellites orbit the planet; however, 30 asteroid-like irregular satellites orbit the planet.
Note the star visible in the last picture is the Insight System’s primary star Insight A. Viewed from the gas giant, the star shines with an average magnitude of -17.29, bright enough that it illuminates the dark side of objects to approximately the same level of lighting as the average living room.
High Resolution Pictures
Insight B-III
Polar View
Crescent View
Equatorial Cloud Bands
Nearby asteroid moon
Distant asteroid moon
Pictures of the Day December 1, 2018
Insight System - Insight B-II
The second planet orbiting Insight B. This world is a more extreme version of Venus that is choked in a thick carbon dioxide atmosphere 427 times thicker than Earths. Unlike Venus, the atmosphere is humid, water vapor comprises 6.45% of the planet’s atmosphere, further amplifying the greenhouse effect of the atmosphere.
Insight B-II is a super earth with approximately 5.28 Earth’s masses, and a radius of 1.39 Earth Radii. The planet is quite dense and has a surface gravity of 2.7 g. Such a high surface gravity flattens the ground and results in only small elevation changes across the entire surface of the planet. The planet is tidally locked to the sun and orbiting at a distance of 0.09 AU. Surface temperatures average 1,182 F. Most of the surface consists of broad plains covered in shallow sand dunes.
High Resolution Pictures
Insight B-II
Approaching the atmosphere
Storms
Daytime sky
Twilight sky
Pictures of the Day - November 30, 2018
The inner-most planet of the Insight B System. (Insight B-I)
This scorched desert world orbits just 9,000,000 kilometers from it’s sun and is tidally locked to the star. The planet is 1.1 times Earth’s mass, but has a very large metallic core; therefore, is only 89% of Earth’s diameter.
The planet is covered in a thick sulfur dioxide and carbon dioxide atmosphere with a surface pressure of 32 atmospheres. The surface has a temperature of 818 °F. A massive cyclone constantly rages on the day side with wind speeds of up to 1,000 mph in the upper atmosphere.
Space Engine System ID: RS 5581-42-6-76887-1116 B1.
High Resolution Pictures
Raging Storm
Crescent
Approaching the day
Blistering Heat
The twilight zone
Picture of the day - November 29, 2018
Its been a while since I showcased an entire star system on here, so the next several sets of pictures will be all the planets in this one system that I am going to name the “Insight System” after the newest Mars lander. Many more picture to come.
Above is a preview pic of the system. This is a binary system, so the planet’s night sides are all faintly illuminated.