A star system would include only the star (or stars if it is a binary or trinary star system) and its planets. So Sol would be a star system.

There is a naming convention for stars and planets as well. For example, the star system 47 Ursa Majoris was recently discovered to have three planets (the first planet orbiting 47UMa was discovered by Marcy and Butler in 1996 and subsequent planets in the system were discovered by Debra Fisher et al.). The star is known as 47UMa, the first planet is 47UMa-B, the second planet is 47UMa-C, and the third planet is 47UMa-D.

If that naming convention is used for our own star system, our good ol' Earth would be called Sol-D.

Several star systems in close proximity to each other would make a local cluster. The "Sirius Sector" in the game would be a local cluster. As I mentioned before, the programmers goofed because the local cluster which Sirius (Alpha Canis Majoris) belongs to also includes the Sol star system!

We must remember they called it the Sirius SECTOR not the local CLUSTER. Maybe they will release different sectors in subequent expansion packs (hopefully)

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We must remember they called it the Sirius SECTOR not the local CLUSTER.

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I'm just stating the astronomical definition of a group of star systems in close proximity, friend. The astronomy textbooks don't care what the programmers call it, and neither do I.

Sol= The sun.
Sol= The solar system.

The name of the star is used to name the system.

Reaper: $200,000,000.
Rockets: $100,000
The look on that pilot's face when you launch a full pod of screamers up his tailpipe: priceless

The Local Cloud

From you picture it doesnt look like those sleeper ships made it very far. I think they should of picted a system farther away, because I think Sirious is one of the closest stars to the sun.

And here I go thinking a lot again, Sol should just be about one jump hole away from the sirious system, because its not far at all.

FFE uses real stars for most of the federation/alliance space, so I jumped to Sol and checked. Sirius is 8.68 LY from Sol. There are about 5 stars close to Sirius than Sol is. So if Sirius is near the center of the Sirus Sector map, Sol should be somewhere just outside liberty space, given the number and density of stars on the FL map.

it always makes you wonder where the heck is the sirus sector, since it is only about 8 parsec away...

and , given the original intro..

there's this guy who actually travelled 8 parsec alone on a small ship? Assuming he has enough food supply, I doubt he'll still a human after eight years alone in space...

Maybe that's why the junked the original story..

Hmm, maybe they were headed for Sirus but got thrown off course by some sort of stellar disturbance And so thinking they had arrived at Sirus named it thus.

That's reaching a bit. Take another look at the star map above-- One does not have to pass close by another star to get to Sirius. Sirius and Sol are literally next-door neighbors.

if it was only an 8 year journey then why did they have to be cryogenically frozen in the sleeper ships then

This site has all about the Sirius System:

http://www.solstation.com/stars/sirius2.htm

A list and detailed information of stars up to within 100 ly can be found here:

http://www.solstation.com/stars.htm

Edited by - Cham on 16-05-2003 18:56:45

Just curious...

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'm just stating the astronomical definition of a group of star systems in close proximity, friend. The astronomy textbooks don't care what the programmers call it, and neither do I.

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Now, given that a group of stars is called a cluster as you stated, and and individual star with it's planets is a system (is that correct?), if you had 40 stars in a cluster, and broke those down into groups of 10, you would have 4 sectors. Sort of like the idea of 2 cities being geographically close, in the same state, but in different counties.

So perhaps a hypothetical Sol sector would be a group of stars in the cluster including the stars of the "Sirius Sector" etc.

Just wondering. Most of this is above my head anywho.