[Skullar]

Skullars distances in space with proper proportions :

1.

Earth is about 12800 km in diameter.
If Earth was a marble ( 1cm diameter ) lying in the goal of a soccer pitch, then the sun would be a big gym ball ( 109 cm in diameter ) lying in the other goal.

The distance of Earth-Sun is called an AU "astronomic Unit", about 150.000.000 km.

The distance Neptune-Sun is about 30 AU ( Neptune is the outer planet of the solar system ) which means that Neptune ( the size of a tomato while Earth is still a marble ) is about 3 kilometers away from our soccer pitch.



2.

The distance to the next star ( alpha centauri ) is about 4.4 lightyears, thats about  278256  A.U. 

And THAT means, with marbles, tomatos and gymballs, the next star is 32608 kilometers away !
That means more than 3/4 of the length of earth's equator !

Well..... to allow you to ... zoom out in mind....

If the orbit of Neptune ( the tomatoe that flies around the gymball and is about 3 kilometers away, so its orbit is around 6km in diameter  )  was only the size of a coin ( 1cm in diameter ), the next star would still be 43.3 meters away.

A coin in the center of the soccer pitch being neptune's orbit means : the next star is lying on the side line.



Been my pleasure

[jdjtcagle]

Wow, that's far...

[Vidmaster]

exactly. And now explain to me why ships travel in normal space sometimes in the B5 universe. Seriously, if you got the jumgate network, you jump at your origin and leave hyperspace at your destination. Not somewhere between.

Of course, the answer is you cannot nicely stage a Raider or Centauri attack in hyperspace, therefore JMS did not care. 

[0rph3u5]

And now explain to me why ships travel in normal space sometimes in the B5 universe. Seriously, if you got the jumgate network, you jump at your origin and leave hyperspace at your destination. Not somewhere between.

1.
Jumpgates/-dirves require Quantium 40, a processed ressource from what ever element, which is extremly rare and hard to get -
now imagine: the jumpgates/-drives are not quite cheap but are an investment for a lifetime (jumpgates are under a special protection by the B5-universe rules of engagement) - where would you place them?

Right, at strategically good locations - that sometimes means that ships have to cover a lot of space just because the gate was built to favor of 2 or more outposts/colonies in the same system..

2.
You cannot navigate freely in hyperspace (well you can up to certain degree) - you have to rely on certain routes (the hyperspace beacons)
thus you will have to exit one hyperspace beacon somewhere to get on another beacon which leads to your destination just because there is no direct route

[terran_emperor]

Hyperspace matches up to real space....sorta....anyway, where there's a star/blackhole, you know  stuff with big gravity wells, it will effect hyperspace....

Do you remember this maze?

The Tilt maze?

Think of hyperspace being like a whole mix of those mazes. The holes represent the garvitational effects caused stars and other huge objects.

[0rph3u5]

Hyperspace matches up to real space....sorta....anyway, where there's a star/blackhole, you know  stuff with big gravity wells, it will effect hyperspace....

Think of hyperspace being like a whole mix of those mazes. The holes represent the garvitational effects caused stars and other huge objects.

Hyperspace has its own laws of physics sort of - thus it cannot match real space
but for every coordinate in real space there is coordinate in hyperspace -

[terran_emperor]

All im saying is that normal space gavity wells cause by stars and black holes affect hyperspace. I think i remember JMS saying something like that somewhere...if i find it i'll post it

[Wanderer]

Weren't there hyperspace currents, lifeforms etc. in the B5 universe. The way i understood it was that basically the whole hyperspace was not static. Its seemed to be more like a fluid continuously in motion. So ships which would deviate from the known arrangement of hyperspace beacons would be in trouble - basically meaning that shipping routes exits in hyperspace even if the ships wouldn't jump to normal space in every possible 'intersection'.

[terran_emperor]

Yep there are lifeforms -> The fen; jellyfish/squid creatures that like to get fresh with passing ships

[IPAndrews]

The distance to the next star ( alpha centauri ) is about 4.4 lightyears, thats about  278256  A.U. 

Roughly equivilent to the length of the list of ships terran_emperor requires for his next campaign.

[Skullar]

I can't believe it.

I brought along some REALFACTS about space for your personal recreation, and you guys make a GOODFACT scenario out of it !!!!
I would like to Garibaldize you threat-highjackers right from this military installation.

Well, that's the way it is, I suppose.

[IPAndrews]

Yeah the moderator should probably do something about it, but since he's joining in and the thread was barely on topic in the first place...

[Skullar]