Kalgash

Infobox Planet


caption = A solar eclipse, similar to the one described during the climax of Nightfall
name = Kalgash
orbits = onos
satellites = Kalgash 2

Kalgash (or Lagash, in the original short story by Asimov) is the fictional world on which Isaac Asimov and Robert Silverberg base their book "Nightfall". As stated in the “To the reader” section at the beginning of the book, Kalgash is depicted in Earth equivalent terms, such that when the book says "it’s raining", it is referring to the phenomena that is the equivalent to the inhabitants of Kalgash to rain.

Weather

As stated in the introduction, the weather used in the book is analogous to the meteorologic experiences of the characters in the book. The first major weather fluctuation mentioned in the book is the sand storm that fictional archeologist Siferra 89 avoided by hiding under a tarp with her crew. The other meteorological event was the monsoon like rains that occurred after Sheerin 501 returned from a consultation in the fictional city Jonglor.

Climate

The characters of Nightfall travel to three separate locations on Kalgash. First Sheerin 501 travels to 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 and described to be situated near mountains. In addition to this, Beklimot is in a desert region, one that is both sandy and arid.The majority of the book takes place in Saro city. The region of Saro city receives rains that last several days. The city itself is situated near a large forest which plays host to trees, bushes, and Graben (scavenger animals).

Astronomical environment

The primary celestial object in Kalgash’s sky is the star Onos. The other five suns are minor in comparison, but provide adequate light to prevent the inhabitants of Kalgash from defining "night".There are six stars in Kalgash’s stellar neighborhood: Onos, Dovim, Trey, Patru, Tano, and Sitha (Alpha, Beta, ect. in the original short story). From what can be drawn from the text Onos, the star appearing brightest and largest in Kalgash's sky, is the star Kaglash orbits. Onos in turn partakes in an orbit around the binary system Trey and Patru, the other binary system Tano and Sitha, and the red dwarf star Dovim.In addition to the stars (as well as the only other celestial object mentioned) there 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 Dovim is the only star visible from one part of Kalgash, every 2049 years. [cite book
first=| last=Asimov, Silverberg | year=1990
title= Nightfall | pages=pp. All
publisher= Doubleday
location= New York | id= ]

See also

Nightfall

References