Locations



Locations in the Star Citizen universe are numerous and diverse, from lush planets full of pristine wilderness to planets covered on every square inch by high tech supercity; from small seedy truck stop-esque space stations to a planet-sized mega station; from a pirate-infested abandoned asteroid station positioned within a planetary ring to a smashed planet turned into an electrically charged asteroid formation which houses an industrial mining operation. In total, there are 95 known star systems, consisting of 324 planets, 74 moons, 50 space stations, and 76 asteroid formations.

Systems


A system (short for planetary system) is one or more non-stellar objects that is orbiting one or more stars. In the Star Citizen universe, there are 100 known systems. There are 4 main factions that claim ownership over these systems: the United Empire of Earth, the Vanduul, the Xi'an Empire, and the Banu Protectorate. There are also two other categories of system affiliation - developing, which is a system that has one or more lifeforms that are in the process of developing as a species, or otherwise has a planet that could potentially develop sentient life, and as a result is being protected by the UEE under the Fair Chance Act; and unclaimed, which is a system that no major faction has claimed, for one reason or another. Each of these systems are connected to other systems by jump point s of varying sizes, allowing for interstellar travel between systems.

Astronomical Objects


An astronomical object is a naturally occurring entity that is found freely floating in space, either as a single object, or clustered into groups with other objects. More generally, astronomical objects are the things that make up systems, and include stars, planets, moons, asteroid formations, planetoids, nebulae, and jump points.

Stars


A star is a massive bright ball of plasma undergoing nuclear fusion, which is often orbited by planets, asteroids, and other types of astronomical objects, and after which the system is frequently named. The majority of stars are single, but occasionally there are binary stars, where two stars orbit each other. Stars have various classifications, based on their brightness and color, which is indicative of their composition and life stage.

Planets


A planet is an object that orbits one or more stars, is massive enough to be rounded by its own gravity, and has cleared most of its orbit of other astronomical objects. There are 324 known planets of various classifications, depending on the atmosphere, size, and geological composition. These classifications include terrestrial rocky, super earth, ocean planet, gas giant, ice giant, smog planet, mesoplanet, protoplanet, dwarf planet, and desert planet, among others.

Moons


A moon, also known as natural satellite, is an astronomical object that orbits a planet. There are 74 known moons. While they do not have classifications in the same way that planets do, there are many different types of moons, from dry, desert moons like Daymar, to frigid, frozen moons like Calliope, to moons with dense smog like atmospheres like Aberdeen.

Asteroid formations


An asteroid is a rocky object smaller than a planet that is orbiting a star, often in massive groupings with other asteroids, know as asteroid formations. These objects are the remnants of the formation of the larger bodies in the system, or sometimes are the result of collisions between a planet and moon or between two planets. There are 76 charted asteroid formations, usually found as system rings, with the occasional asteroid cluster and single planetoid asteroid.

Planetoid
A planetoid is another name for an asteroid. The title of planetoid is usually reserved for larger asteroids, which are notable in some way, either ones that are home to a colony, or otherwise unique looking or frequently visited and landed on for some purpose. The two most notable planetoids are Delamar, which is home to a colony of radical independents, and Space Whale, which is a unique looking planetoid frequently visited by tourists.

Space stations


A space station is an artificial satellite, i.e., a man made construction that is orbiting a star, a planet, or a moon, usually with some amenities for passing ships to make use of, or otherwise with some specific function such as security or scientific research. There are 50 space stations in the Star Citizen universe, ranging from small truck stop like rest stops to planet-sized super stations like Archangel Station, and everything in between.