Tylo - Kerbal Space Program Wiki (2024)

Tylo

Tylo as seen from orbit.
Moon of Jool
Orbital Characteristics
Semi-major axis 68 500 000m [Note 1]
Apoapsis 68 500 000m [Note 1]
Periapsis 68 500 000m [Note 1]
Orbital eccentricity 0
Orbital inclination 0.025°
Argument of periapsis
Longitude of the ascending node
Mean anomaly 3.14rad (at 0s UT)
Sidereal orbital period 211 926s
9d 4h 52m 6.4s
Synodic orbital period 212 356.4s
Orbital velocity 2 031m/s
Longest time eclipsed 5 917s
Physical Characteristics
Equatorial radius 600 000m
Equatorial circumference 3 769 911m
Surface area 4.5238934×1012m2
Mass 4.2332127×1022kg
Standard gravitational parameter 2.8252800×1012m3/s2
Density 46 787.273kg/m3
Surface gravity 7.85m/s2 (0.8g)
Escape velocity 3 068.81m/s
Sidereal rotation period 211 926.36s
9d 4h 52m 6.4s
Sidereal rotational velocity 17.789m/s
Synchronous orbit 14 157.88km
Sphere of influence 10 856 518m [Note 1]
Atmospheric Characteristics
Atmosphere present No
Scientific multiplier
Surface 12
Splashed N/A
Near space 10
Outer space 8
Recovery 8
  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 The distances are given from the body's center, not from the surface (unlike ingame)

Tylo is the largest moon of Jool and the Kerbol System, and the largest celestial body without an atmosphere. It is the analog for Ganymede. It is the third moon from Jool, is the same diameter as Kerbin, and is tidally locked. Tylo orbits Jool in roughly nine days. Synchronous orbits around Tylo are impossible, as they would lie far outside of its SOI at a radius of 14,758,067 meters.

Tylo is a relatively difficult target to visit. Its gravity is similar to Kerbin's, but without an atmosphere, there is no way to aerobrake, and a large amount of fuel must be used to land and take off. However, due to its large gravity well, Tylo is ideal for a gravity assist to enter or leave the Jool system with minimal fuel consumption.

According to former developer NovaSilisko, Tylo was planned to be made into a high-contrasting body like Saturn's moon Iapetus.[1]

Contents

  • 1 In-game Description
  • 2 Topography
  • 3 Biomes
    • 3.1 Biome list
  • 4 Science
  • 5 Reference Frames
  • 6 KSP 2
    • 6.1 Surface Research Locations
    • 6.2 Maps
      • 6.2.1 Biomes
      • 6.2.2 Visual map
  • 7 Trivia
  • 8 Gallery
  • 9 Notes
  • 10 Changes

In-game Description

KSP 1:

Tylo was the first moon of Jool to be discovered by the Kerbal Astronomical Society. After many failed attempts to take a flawless picture of Jool to hang on the office walls, it was finally discovered that the wandering white smear was indeed a moon.
Scientists speculate that the view from the surface with Laythe, Vall and Jool overhead must be “quite something”.''

Kerbal Astronomical Society

KSP 2:

If you ever want to visit Jool, you'll need to know about Tylo, its third moon! It's about as large as Kerbin with less mass and relatively strong gravity. This makes it ideal for gravity assists into and out of Jool's sphere of influence! Tylo has no atmosphere, so attempting to land on it takes a good chunk of fuel. Oh, and I could have sworn it used to be more gray?

Topography

Tylo has a rocky surface. It has a varying elevation between 0 meters (Tylo baseline height) and peaks of more than 11290 meters. Tylo's surface looks similar to that of Mün, but has much fewer impact craters (especially on the side facing away from Jool) and is more uneven.

Due to the coloring of the surface of Tylo, it is likely that it is covered in a rhyolite layer of rock, nickel, a little cobalt, and some sort of ice and dust spread by meteorite impacts but as there is no official way to determine the composition of the moon this is only hypothetical. This explains why Tylo has a rather bright and white surface.

Because it is very large in comparison to other moons, it is unlikely that it is a captured planet. For a planet of this size, Jool would have to be much larger and denser to produce a large and strong enough gravitational well. It is unknown why Tylo hasn't formed an atmosphere.

Because of its high gravity and lack of an atmosphere, Tylo is very hard to land on and reach orbit from. However, low altitude orbits at high speeds can be achieved for these same reasons.

Biomes

Tylo has 9 Biomes. It mostly consists of generic Low-, Mid- and Highlands with some Mara and Minor Craters scattered in between. There are four distinct Craters. Previously three of these Craters were simply named Major Crater, the reason for this oddity not being known.

Biome list

Tylo In-game biome map as of 1.2

  • Highlands
  • Midlands
  • Lowlands
  • Mara
  • Minor Craters
  • Gagarin Crater
  • Grissom Crater
  • Galileio Crater
  • Tycho Crater

Science

Tylo has the second-highest science multipliers in the game. The only orbit with a higher multiplier is the sun and the only surface with a better multiplier is that of Eve. Unfortunately Tylo has no atmosphere, which means that there is one less zone to conduct experiments in and that some experiments do not work at all. That means that it is only the second most science-rich Joolian moon after Laythe.

Reference Frames

Time warp Minimum Altitude
Any
5× 30 000 m
10× 30 000 m
50× 60 000 m
100× 120 000 m
1 000× 240 000 m
10 000× 480 000 m
100 000× 600 000 m

KSP 2

Surface Research Locations

Surface research locations include:

  • Craters
  • Dimple
  • Highlands
  • Lowlands

Maps

Biomes

Tylo biome map with legend (as of v0.2.1.0 (from Orbital Survay mod))

Visual map

File:Tylo visual.png

Tylo visual map (as of v0.2.1.0)

Tylo visual map (Imgur)

Trivia

  • Kerbin has the same equatorial radius as Tylo (600,000m) yet Tylo's surface gravity is much lower than Kerbin. This is most likely because Tylo is composed of lower density matter.
  • Tylo is one of the few bodies in the solar system with almost totally manually-created colors (i.e., it uses a color map instead of procedural coloration). It only has a tenuous coat of a height-based darkening, and some simple noise. The only other manually-colored objects in the game are the Mun and Jool.
  • The Gagarin crater on Tylo was most likely named after Yuri Gagarin, the first man in space.
  • The Grissom crater on Tylo was most likely named after Virgil "Gus" Grissom, the second American in space.
  • The Galileo crater on Tylo was most likely named after Galileo Galilei who is widely considered to be the inventor of the telescope.
  • The Tycho crater on Tylo was most likely named after Tycho Brahe who helped overturn a belief in favor of the heliocentric theory.
  • Using systematic designation Tylo would be designated Jool I.
  • There are two known Easter eggs on Tylo.

Spoiler:

One is Carl Sagan's face (which is now broken) on a mountain and the other is a cave-like underground formation. The cave-like formation used to be below the surface, but as of 1.3 it is back at the surface and is visible from low orbit

Gallery

  • Topographical map of Tylo.

  • A topographic height map of Tylo made with the ISA MapSat plugin

  • Picture of Tylo as seen from Laythe

  • A Joolrise with a Laythe transit seen from a very low orbit around Tylo

  • A small crater on Tylo as seen from the surface

  • Three kerbonauts boldly going where no kerbal has gone before.

Notes

  1. Post in the forum by NovaSilisko

Changes

1.11
  • Texture revamp
1.2
  • Updated biomes
0.90
  • Added biomes
0.17
  • Initial release
  • v
  • t
  • e

Kerbol System

KerbolMohoEveKerbinDunaDresJoolEeloo

(The Sun)

  • Gilly
  • Mun
  • Minmus
  • Ike
  • Laythe
  • Vall
  • Tylo
  • Bop
  • Pol
Tylo - Kerbal Space Program Wiki (2024)

FAQs

Why is Tylo so hard to land on KSP? ›

Because of its high gravity and lack of an atmosphere, Tylo is very hard to land on and reach orbit from.

What is the hardest planet to return from in KSP? ›

Tylo is one of the worst places to land and return from. It's in the outer solar system, far away from home, and you need to bring a ton of fuel to even land, let alone get your ass back home. Tylo is about the same size/mass as Kerbin but there is no atmosphere.

Does Tylo have an atmosphere? ›

Tylo is the largest moon of Jool , sharing an orbit path with Laythe, Bop, Pol and Vall. Tylo is very similar to the Mun, as both have craters caused by impacting asteroids, and have around the same atmospheric density(no atmosphere).

What is the easiest planet Kerbal? ›

Duna orbits Kerbol with an inclination nearly identical to that of Kerbin, making it one of the easiest planets to encounter.

What is the lifespan of a Kerbal in KSP? ›

In the game, the average life expectancy for kerbals is 300 years (aging is four times slower than in real life, even though time progresses the same).

How realistic is KSP? ›

For orbits, KSP is mostly accurate. The only real exception that I'm aware of is that KSP uses patched conics instead of true n-body: ships only feel gravity from the body that they're orbiting, not other bodies, so there are no tidal forces or things like lagrange points.

Do any KSP planets have rings? ›

Voon is known as the 6th and largest planet around Kerbol. It is one of the 2 gas giants in the Kerbol System and the only planet with a well-defined ring system.

Can you escape the Sun in KSP? ›

The sphere of influence (SOI) of the Sun (Kerbol) is infinite, making the Sun (Kerbol) inescapable. Thus, achieving gravitation-free flight is impossible. With a powerful enough ship, it is possible to get to the point where the info tab will display the craft's situation as "escaping" the Sun (Kerbol).

What is the lowest possible orbit in KSP? ›

Low Kerbin orbit (LKO)

The lowest point of an LKO must not be lower than 70 km in order to stay clear of atmospheric drag. The altitude of a LKO typically does not exceed about 200 km.

How big is Gilly KSP? ›

Gilly
Physical Characteristics
Equatorial radius13 000 m
Equatorial circumference81 681 m
Surface area2.1237166×109 m2
36 more rows
May 10, 2024

Who has the thinnest atmosphere? ›

Of all the planets in the solar system, Mercury has the thinnest atmosphere, thinner than even Mars.

Who has the thickest atmosphere? ›

Of all the terrestrial planets, Venus has the thickest atmosphere and the slowest rotation rate.

Is KSP kid friendly? ›

This game is great for kids seven and up, not because it's violent or scary it's just pretty hard to play and isn't for kids who want to learn with their screen time. In this game you learn about physics, aerodynamics orbital mechanics, money managing, geography and much more!

Can you orbit the moon in KSP? ›

Getting into Mun Orbit

Once you have gotten into the Mun's SOI, warp to periapsis, turn towards the retrograde vector on the Navball, and activate the engine (Z key). You can cut the engine once you enter a circular orbit around the Mun. Quicksave the game and name it "Mun Orbit".

What is the fastest ship ever in Kerbal Space Program? ›

Relativistic Kraken. The Relativistic Kraken emerges when a craft accelerates to a very high speed, like near lightspeed (either legitimately, i.e. through KSP-Interstellar fusion drives, or as a result of another type of Kraken).

Can you land on Jool in KSP 2? ›

By far the flashiest planet in the Kerbollar system, Jool is a gas giant with massive gravitational pull and five moons! There is no land to land on, and the atmospheric pressure destroys anything Kerbals throw into its center; however, the upper layers of clouds are ripe for study and watercolor paintings.

What is the smallest planet in KSP? ›

Gilly has the lowest mass and gravitational force of any body in the Kerbol system. Due to its minuscule mass and resultant low gravitational force, it does not have an atmosphere.

How big is Gilly in KSP? ›

Gilly is the smallest body in the Kerbol System, with a diameter of roughly half a kilometer. Because of this, even a soft nudge or careless jump is enough to send you or your entire craft into orbit if you're lucky, or out into an escape trajectory.

Can you escape Kerbol in KSP? ›

With a powerful enough ship, it is possible to get to the point where the info tab will display the craft's situation as "escaping" the Sun (Kerbol). The end of the patched conics path plotted by the game can be reached, at which point the spacecraft begins drawing a course behind it.

References

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