Scale in the Iron Empires

The graphic novel I’m working on is centered on space travel, strategy and tactics in the Iron Empires.  As a result, scale becomes an issue.  From my notebook:

Interstellar Scales

Parsec (pc)

- 1,000 parsecs is 1 kpc (kiloparsec).

- one parsec is approximately 3.262 light years.

- the center of the Milky Way is 8 kpc (26,000 ly) from the Earth, and the Milky Way is about 30 kpc (97,800 ly) across.

- the Andromeda Galaxy (M31), the most distant object visible to the naked eye, is a little under 800 kpc (2,600,000 ly) away from the Earth.

 

Lightyear (ly)

- (9.4×10¹² km)

- 9,460,730,472,581 km 

- 63,240 astronomical units

- 0.3 parsecs

 

Distortus Vicis (DV)

- roughly two light years

- 1.9×10¹³ km

 

Astronomical Unit (au)

- The currently accepted value of the AU is 149 ,597 ,871 Kilometers (about 150 million) 

- (1.5×10⁸  km)

 

Sublumina Hora (SH)

- 75,000,000 km

- roughly half an astronomical unit 

 

Particle Density

- HEx shuts down at ~5 particles/cm³.   

- Sublight Drives shut down at ~25 particles/cm³

 - Q-beam fire grows increasingly inaccurate (but more powerful) as the target point approaches 25 ppc.  It shuts down altogether at ~30 ppc.

- Interstellar Medium (ISM) = average of  1 particle per cm³

- Zodiacal Cloud (out to 5 au from the sun) = Varies by system and closeness to the sun. 

- Molecular Clouds (a variety:  Giant, Small, Dwarf and  High Latitude) = 

- High Latitude (“above and below” the galactic disk) = 30 particles per cm³

 

Iron Empires Geography

- Dimensions of the Iron Empires, c. 587 HE = 4000 ly (n/w) x 3200 ly (e/w)

- The Iron Empires’ most distant frontier (from Earth) = 1600 ly (North)

- Area of the Darikahn Empire = roughly 2000 ly (not counting x/y axis)

- The Human Federation’s most distant frontier (from Earth) = 10,000 ly (North), 18,000 ly (to the easternmost sectors in Veil Prefecture)

 

Galactic Distances

- Diameter of the milky way = 100,000 ly

- Thickness (Outside the core) = roughly 1000 ly

- Earth to the Galactic Core = 26,000 ly

- Orion Arm = arm containing Earth

- Perseus Arm = arm 6,400 ly to galactic south of Earth

- Sagittarius Arm = arm 7-8,000 ly to galactic north of Earth

 

Stellar Neighborhood:  Including the sun, there are currently 66 stars comprising 50 systems known to lie within 16 ly (8DV) of Earth.

- Proxima Centauri = 4.2 ly (2.1 DV) away from Earth.

 

Nebulae (distance from earth) 

 Sagittarius Arm:

- Lagoon Nebula (4100 ly) – this is 2500 ly north of the Urfan border

- Trifid Nebula (5400 ly)

- Eagle Nebula  (7000 ly)

Orion Arm:

- Eta Carina Nebula (~8000 ly)

- Orion Nebula (1500 ly) – this is 1100 ly inside Vaylen space

- Rosette Nebula (5200 ly)