| Hale | ||
 | ||
| Hale as seen from orbit. | ||
| Moon of Sarnus | ||
| Orbital Characteristics | ||
| Semi-major axis | 10 488 231 m [Note 1] | |
| Apoapsis | 10 488 231 m [Note 1] | |
| Periapsis | 10 488 231 m [Note 1] | |
| Orbital eccentricity | 0 | |
| Orbital inclination | 1 ° | |
| Argument of periapsis | 0 ° | |
| Longitude of the ascending node | 55 ° | |
| Mean anomaly | 0 rad (at 0s UT) | |
| Sidereal orbital period | 23 555 s | |
| 1 d 0 h 32 m 35.3 s | ||
| Synodic orbital period | 23 557.5 s | |
| Orbital velocity | 2 798 m/s | |
| Longest time eclipsed | 3 973 s | |
| Physical Characteristics | ||
| Equatorial radius | 6 000 m | |
| Equatorial circumference | 37 699 m | |
| Surface area | 4.5238934×108 m2 | |
| Mass | 1.2166330×1016 kg | |
| Standard gravitational parameter | 811 990.62 m3/s2 | |
| Density | 13 446.747 kg/m3 | |
| Surface gravity | 0.023 m/s2 (0.002 g) | |
| Escape velocity | 16.45 m/s | |
| Sidereal rotation period | 23 555.314 s | |
| 1 d 0 h 32 m 35.3 s | ||
| Sidereal rotational velocity | 1.6005 m/s | |
| Synchronous orbit | 16.51 km | |
| Sphere of influence | 6 588.8129 m [Note 1] | |
| Atmospheric Characteristics | ||
| Atmosphere present | × No | |
| Scientific multiplier | ||
| Surface | 12 | |
| Splashed | N/A | |
| Near space | 9 | |
| Outer space | 8 | |
| Recovery | 8 | |
|
| ||
Hale is the first and innermost moon of Sarnus, and the likely OPM analogue of Saturn's moon Pandora. It is the smallest moon in the game, with a radius of 6 km, and orbits within the Harvster Gap in Sarnus' rings. Hale acts as a ring shepherd and is responsible for keeping the Harvster Gap free of ring particles. Because of its small size, low gravity and proximity to Sarnus, it is difficult to make an encounter with Hale.
It's interesting to note that Hale completes an entire orbit around Sarnus faster than Sarnus rotates along its axis.
In-Game Description[]
| “ | This small moonlet orbiting in the rings of Sarnus is named after Hale, a female shepherd from Kerbal mythology who saved the galaxy from certain destruction. Its location in Sarnus' rings results in some of the finest views in the Kerbol system. — Kerbal Astronomical Society |
” |
Topography[]
False color image of Hale, edited to emphasize the topography
The extremely low gravity and varied terrain creates an interesting topography to view and to land on. Seemingly vertical cliffs become horizontal plains with a change in orientation and vice versa. Literally, up is down, down is up and sideways is either. Due to its minuscule mass and gravitational force, it does not have an atmosphere. This, together with the low ∆V requirements for landing and returning, makes Hale an attractive target to land on and explore.
Composition[]
Hale, spotted in it's orbital path among Sarnus' rings
Hale's orbital path between Sarnus' rings is kept relatively clear, presumably because the moonlet absorbs the material in its path. This path, or gap, is called the Harvster Gap.
Hale's surface is divided into a large bright patch and four darker patches. It's theorized that the bright patch may contain some water ice, while the dark patches may contain carbonaceous rock. These darker patches are probably caused by impacts of small moons or asteroids.
It's clear from instrument readings that Hale is made from the same type of material as the ring system it orbits within. These materials are unconfirmed but strongly believed to be silicates, water ice, and other types of rock. If this is the case, due to the moonlet's average density, it can be estimated that 25% of its composition is rock, and the remaining 75% is water ice.
Biomes[]
Because of its size, Hale only has 2 biomes.
Biome list[]
  Hale biome map |
|
Gravity[]
Hale has the second lowest gravity of all bodies in the Kerbol system at only 0.2% of Kerbin's surface gravity, which is two-fifths that of Eve's moon Gilly and barely higher than Ovok. It is very impractical to walk on Hale, so using jetpacks is a necessity to move around the moon practically.
The low gravity also makes it very difficult to get into an encounter since it makes the sphere of influence so minuscule, especially so considering its relatively high orbital velocity.
Trivia[]
The name of this world forms a dual reference:
- Its status as a "shepherd moon" to Jennifer Hale, voice actor of the character Commander Shepard, protagonist of the Mass Effect trilogy
- Together with Jool's moon Bop, to the real-world celestial body Comet Hale-Bopp
Reference Frames[]
| Time warp | Minimum Altitude |
|---|---|
| 1× | Any |
| 5× | 338 m |
| 10× | 675 m |
| 50× | 1 350 m |
| 100× | 2 700 m |
| 1 000× | 5 400 m |
| 10 000× | 10 800 m |
| 100 000× | 21 600 m |