Setting
The six star system of Kalgash is complicated. They are named Alpha, Beta, etc. in the original short story. In the novel, Onos is the primary sun of Kalgash and is located 10 light-minutes away, similar to the distance from Earth to our Sun. The other five suns are minor in comparison, but provide enough light to prevent the inhabitants of Kalgash from defining "night". The only other distance given is that Tano and Sitha (a binary star system) are about eleven times as far away as Onos is.
- Onos - Yellow dwarf - similar to the Sun
- Dovim - Red dwarf
- Trey and Patru - Class A or F Main Sequence Stars, described as "white" - binary star system
- Tano and Sitha - Class A, B or O Main Sequence Stars, described as "blue" - binary star system
From what can be drawn from the text, Onos, the star appearing brightest and largest in Kalgash's sky, is the star that Kalgash orbits. Onos in turn orbits around the binary system Trey and Patru, the other binary system Tano and Sitha, and the red dwarf star Dovim. In addition to these stars, the only other celestial object mentioned is Kalgash's moon, dubbed Kalgash Two by the scientists of Kalgash. Kalgash Two follows an eccentric orbit around Kalgash and eclipses Dovim, during a period when from one part of Kalgash, Dovim is the only star visible, every 2049 years.
The characters of Nightfall travel to three separate locations on Kalgash. Most of the book is set in Saro city, which is situated near a large forest with trees, bushes, and Graben (scavenger animals). As stated in the introduction, the weather in the book is analogous to the meteorologic experiences of the characters in the book, and the region of Saro city receives rains that last several days. The first major weather fluctuation mentioned in the book is the sand storm that Siferra 89 avoided by hiding under a tarpaulin with her crew. The other weather event was the monsoon-like rains that occurred after Sheerin 501 returned from a consultation in Jonglor, which is described as a northern city. Siferra 89 travels to Beklimot, which is described as half a world away from Jonglor. Beklimot is located on the Sagikan Peninsula, near mountains. Beklimot is in a sandy, arid desert region.
Read more about this topic: Nightfall (Asimov short story and novel)
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