Hello World(s)

I've always been fascinated by maps, globes & planets.  As a child, i drew maps of all kinds.  Wanting to make better maps, i became curious about the "why"s behind real geography.  Gradually, i accumulated little bits of information from books & inferred patterns by looking at maps.  But i wasn't satisfied with what i understood.

A year or so ago, i searched the web for world-building, & though i had to dig, i found nearly all the answers i was looking for, including a step-by-step process for approximating climate. Using a more rigorous process, i designed a planet up from the orbital mechanics, until i got stalled in the middle of "climate".  My understanding had increased through following the process, & so i was no longer happy with how i started out.

So now i'm starting over. Via this blog, interested world-builders can watch the process unfold, or even better discover this after i've made a lot of progress.  I've found some good examples of constructed worlds, but not much that really shows the process of building that world.  I don't know how many people will be interested, but this blog is something that i would have loved to find.

I'll be linking to the best sources i've found, showing how i apply that information, & giving some ideas of my own.  I'll be trying to bring some of the technical information down to an easier-to-understand form.

Once i clear up the introductory matters, & finish tweaking the appearance & settings, we'll start with orbital mechanics.

an old version of this Orb taken with Celestia