(A table of contents will be available at the end of the series. In the meantime, you can find previous installments in the space building tag and other original posts in the posts by pear tag.)
Part of Fifteen: Further Research and Resources
AKA What Pear Read To Write This Series
I read a lot of stuff in preparation for writing this series of posts. Researching and writing each post usually took about 3-5 hours. Here's most of what I read and watched, though admittedly not all of it, and yes, I did go out and read some very basic, elementary-school-level things sometimes to make sure I wasn’t misremembering things or misrepresenting them.
My biggest suggestion is: When in doubt, go to Youtuber Artifexian. He goes through all the math and how it’s related to what, and even has conlang and calendar creation videos. You’ll see him pop up a lot on these lists.
For hard sci-fi writers looking for all the math equations, go through the video descriptions for the Artifexian videos linked below. He explains what each equation means and why you should bother with it.
Formation of the Solar System from Artifexian
Creating a realistic world(s) map - planetary systems
Other Planetary Systems from Artifexian
How to Create a Classical Planetary System from Artifexian
Stars from Nasa’s StarChild
The Sun and Other Stars from BBC
Star Types from Enchanted Learning
How to Build a Star from Artifexian
Can there be more than one star in a solar system, and if so how would it work?
Modelling a multi-star system with numerous planets and moons
Introduction to Multiple-Star Systems from Artifexian
What Are Multiple Star Systems from Universe Today
How Do Multiple-Star Systems Form? from Phys.org
Alien Planets With Extra Suns Can Have Strange Orbits from Space.com
Planet ‘Reared’ by Four Parent Stars from Nasa
Discovering Planets Beyond: How Do Planets Form? from Hubblesite
What Kinds of Planets Are Out There? from Nasa
Dwarf Planets: Science Targets from Nasa
Building Dwarf Planets from Artifexian
Building Gas Giants from Artifexian
Gas Giant Myths from Artifexian
Extrasolar Gas Giants from Artifexian
Building Terrestrial Planets from Artifexian
The Trouble with Terrestrials from Artifexian
The Habitable Zone from PennState’s ASTRO 801 course
What is an Orbit? from Artifexian
Building Gas Giant Orbits from Artifexian
Building Hot Jupiter Orbits from Artifexian
Building Terrestrial Planet Orbits from Artifexian
Building Gas Giant Moons from Artifexian
Building Terrestrial Planet Moons from Artifexian
What is the difference between a meteor, a meteoroid, a meteorite, an asteroid, and a comet? from Hubblesite
Asteroids: Fun Facts and Information About Asteroids from Space.com
The Kuiper Belt from Nasa’s New Horizons
Planetary Considerations:
Interplanetary Seasons from Nasa
Weather, Weather, Everywhere? from Nasa (yes, the images are broken, but the information is still there)
Axial Tilt from Artifexian
What Causes Day and Night? from Universe Today
How the Earth Works: Night and Day from howstuffworks
Rotation of Planets Influences Habitability from Astrobiology Magazine
Solar/Sidereal Days from Celestial North
Terrestrial Planet Geology from the University of Colorado Boulder’s Labratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics
How Do Planets Evolve? from Earthbound
Why is the sky blue? from Nasa’s Space Place
Why do the planets have different colors? from Cool Cosmos
Could the sky on a planet theoretically be any color?
Why does the sky change color?
Why is the sky never green?
Living in Space from NASA
Life in Space from Space Station Kids
What’s It Like to Live in Space? from LiveScience
What it’s REALLY like to be a NASA astronaut living in space for a year from BusinessInsider
Astronauts Answer Student Questions from NASA’s FAQ series
How Do Astronauts Go To the Bathroom in Space? from LiveScience
Astronaut Tips: How to Wash Your Hair in Space from the VideoFromSpace Youtube channel
The Human Body in Space from NASA
What Happens to the Human Body in Space? from Smithsonian Magazine
The Health Risks of Space Travel from Healthline
Repair in Space from iFixit.org
7 Things You Always Wanted to Know About Spacewalks from National Geographic
Progressing Toward Interstellar Travel:
The 12 Greatest Challenges For Space Exploration from Wired
10 Technology Innovations Needed For Deep Space Exploration from Science Channel
How Humans Could Go Interstellar, Without Warp Drive from Discover
Artificial Gravity’s Attraction from Aerospace America
Donjon Fractal World Generator
Space Engine Universe Simulator software
Fantasy World Building: Star Systems and Other External Influences
Worldbuilding Links and Software (an extensive list of calculators and generators and extra reading for hard sci-fi)
Worldbuilding (more links to various research including physics, cosmology, geography, natives, flora, fauna, and culture)
World Generation: Generic System & Planet Building Resources (a literal book)
Further discussions on planet-building
Literal Books From My Childhood:
(Yes, I understood they were outdated in some areas.)
National Audubon Society First Field Guide: Night Sky
The Universe from Life Nature Library
Planets from Life Science Library
If there’s a topic I didn’t cover or that you’d like to see more on, feel free to drop in a request for it and I’ll work on adding it. These series are always open to additions, and those topics can come from you!
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