Comets

What is the support for comets? They can be amazing things to look at, but in the real life timescale they generally dont come round very often, so I'm thinking that if they are supported and you want to see one with a nice tail, then you're going to have to find it rather than wait for it to come round. Will there be the ability to find systems which have a comet close to the star?
 
I imagine this will be part of exploration - finding comets that are coming in towards the sun, so then the miners and photographers can get in on the action. Hard to imagine how Frontier will simulate this though. I guess it would have to be part of the procedural engine.
 
I'm going to search out the remains of C.Ison and give it a good spanking for letting me down for the 'Comet of the Century" etc.

p.s. Dibs on Halley's Comet.
 
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Have a look at this image from the newsletter:

elite_starchart_orrery.png

There is a comet depicted in this system, and surely we will be able to approach them, mine them, maybe bring tourists there ("The trip of your lifetime, through a comet's tail!").

P.S.: FD have admitted they got the tail wrong, comet tails always point away from the sun.
 
Have a look at this image from the newsletter:

elite_starchart_orrery.png

There is a comet depicted in this system, and surely we will be able to approach them, mine them, maybe bring tourists there ("The trip of your lifetime, through a comet's tail!").

P.S.: FD have admitted they got the tail wrong, comet tails always point away from the sun.
I thought the same as well, but . no they don't. Look at the animated gif of cmoet ison at http://arstechnica.com/science/2013/12/comet-ison-fizzles-but-theres-a-sting-in-the-tail/

It clearly doesn't point away form the sun, especially after closest approach.
 
I thought the same as well, but . no they don't. Look at the animated gif of cmoet ison at http://arstechnica.com/science/2013/12/comet-ison-fizzles-but-theres-a-sting-in-the-tail/

It clearly doesn't point away form the sun, especially after closest approach.

Simple physics. The angular momentum from orbit curve close to the sun is more rapid than the radiation pressure on trail of particles. This corrects itself fairly rapidly once moving away from the sun.
 
THere will be comets:
http://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=7196

Look under "Extraction".

So there will be comets, Will you be able to search systems with comet distance from Sun as a parameter? I think it would be a good idea. If not then your chances of finding a comet close the sun are slim. Orbital periods for comets vary a lot some, like Halley's are 75 years.

Regards the tail direction, from wikipedia, the dust tail follows the orbit whereas the ion tail is more strongly affected by the solar winds and is therefore away from the sun.
 
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