3 ms·

For hard SF, you’ll want to check that your laser hops don’t pass close to the star your laser is orbiting or another star. For example, Gl 563.2A is part of a

For hard SF, you’ll want to check that your laser hops don’t pass close to the star your laser is orbiting or another star. For example, Gl 563.2A is part of a binary system (or is it? https://celestia.space/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=2324 https://celestia.space/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=2324), so service may be temporarily unavailable because Gl 563.2B interferes with transmission, and a different, slightly longer route may take less time. Also, the hops presumably are between stars because that’s what the lasers take their energy from. If so, star brightness should be taken into account.

zetalyrae 4y ago
The relay's orbital inclination can be changed so the plane of the orbit is perpendicular to the direction of the target star, so there's always line of sight. I think coherent light would be distinguishable from background sunlight. I vaguely recall some telescopes simply block out sunlight by having a black disk in the center of the aperture, and orienting the telescope so the sun is behind the disk, but I can't find the search term.
- Someone 4y ago
  That isn’t guaranteed to work if the relay is used as a crossroads on multiple routes. And I think you mean a coronagraph (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coronagraph https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coronagraph: “a telescopic attachment designed to block out the direct light from a star so that nearby objects – which otherwise would be hidden in the star's bright glare – can be resolved.“). I’m not sure using these to block out the sun is common with very sensitive instruments. Some parts of Hubble can’t look at the sun as doing so would damage them (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fine_guidance_sensor#Hubble_Space_Telescope_FGS https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fine_guidance_sensor#Hubble_Sp...: “Due to the sensitivity of the FGS they can not be used whilst the HST is pointed within 50 degrees of the Sun.”) Also, of course, blocking out the sun’s light won’t make you see the stars behind the sun.

zetalyrae 4y ago

The relay's orbital inclination can be changed so the plane of the orbit is perpendicular to the direction of the target star, so there's always line of sight. I think coherent light would be distinguishable from background sunlight. I vaguely recall some telescopes simply block out sunlight by having a black disk in the center of the aperture, and orienting the telescope so the sun is behind the disk, but I can't find the search term.

Someone 4y ago
That isn’t guaranteed to work if the relay is used as a crossroads on multiple routes. And I think you mean a coronagraph (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coronagraph https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coronagraph: “a telescopic attachment designed to block out the direct light from a star so that nearby objects – which otherwise would be hidden in the star's bright glare – can be resolved.“). I’m not sure using these to block out the sun is common with very sensitive instruments. Some parts of Hubble can’t look at the sun as doing so would damage them (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fine_guidance_sensor#Hubble_Space_Telescope_FGS https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fine_guidance_sensor#Hubble_Sp...: “Due to the sensitivity of the FGS they can not be used whilst the HST is pointed within 50 degrees of the Sun.”) Also, of course, blocking out the sun’s light won’t make you see the stars behind the sun.