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The subject of this article is from the Worlds Part II update.
The information from this article is up-to-date as of 25 March, 2025. |
The information from this article is up-to-date as of 25 March, 2025.
A star system is a system of planets and other objects that orbit a star.
Summary[]
These procedurally generated systems are the seat of all planets and worlds in the game. Most of the planetary systems in No Man's Sky will never be visited.
They are also known as solar systems, planetary systems, or just plain systems.
Star systems have a maximum of six celestial bodies, planets and moons together.
System Types[]
Many star systems are ruled by one of the three major races of lifeforms, but there are also Abandoned System, Uncharted System, and star systems that appear untouched. There are also star systems where law and order does not apply due to lawlessness.
Normal[]
Normal star systems that make up the majority of star systems. Law and order are maintained within the star system by the star system authorities. Ruled by one of the three major races of lifeforms. The races can be confirmed on the Galaxy Map , and the symbols of each race are displayed on space stations.
- Gek
- The Gek are a race with strong merchant characteristics.
- The species' mark is a beak.
- Types of spaceships common in the system - Hauler
- Korvax
- The Korvax are a race with strong scientist and explorer characteristics.
- The species' mark is a monitor on the head.
- Types of spaceships common in the system - Explorer
- Vy'keen
- The Vy'keen are a race with strong warrior characteristics.
- The species' mark is an eye.
- Types of spaceships common in the system - Fighter
The main race in the system is the dominant race. Of course, there are also a few from other races mixed in. The interior of the space station reflects the characteristics of each race. The language learned with the Knowledge Stone on planets in the system, the lore of the Plaque , etc. are those of the dominant race.
You cannot teleport directly from a space station in this system to the Outlaw Station.
Outlaw System[]
An outlaw system added in v3.85 Outlaws. The outlaws seem to refer not only to Pirate and scoundrels, but also to rebels against Atlas. The system authorities and Sentinel Interceptor have been driven out, and security in space is no longer maintained. There are Sentinel drones on the planet.
Even if you attack an NPC Freighter in the system, Sentinel Interceptors will not rush to the scene. It is also a black market where illegal goods are traded because there is no one to police it. The security situation (conflict situation) is at its highest level.
Since there is a dominant race, the main race in the system, the language used in the knowledge stone, and the lore of the plaque will belong to that race. It is not possible to teleport directly from outlaw stations in this system to normal space stations. The same goes for teleporting to freighter bases. It is often not possible (sometimes it is possible, but the reasons and conditions are not well understood).
Abandoned System[]
When using the switch function in the upper left of the discovery screen, it is displayed as "Abandoned System. The circumstances are unknown, but it seems that the lifeform has retreated from the star system.
The space station has been abandoned as an abandoned space station. The buildings on the planet have also become uninhabited ruins. It is probably the least common of the four situations. When you try to look for it, it can be difficult to find. It's hard to say whether infested planets or Gravitino Balls are easy to find in this type of system.
Uncharted System[]
When you use the switch function in the upper left of the discovery screen, it is displayed as "Uninhabited Systems". When you look at the bottom left of the HUD in space or inside a freighter base, it will display "[ System name ] (Uncharted)". In Expedition 13: Adrift, it was also described as "empty worlds".
A system that has not been explored by any of the three major races. There are almost no artificial objects. There are no buildings or Crashed Ship at all. There are no ground spots of any kind, including landing sites or marker beacons. For example, not only there are no Trade Outpost, but not even Shelters or Sentinel Pillar can be found.
The only things you can find at artificial spots are the respawn points for your Starship and Base Computer. There are no space stations either. Therefore, the space station teleport network is not available. To use it as a teleport destination, you must either leave your freighter behind or create a base somewhere.
Information on the Galaxy Map[]
The UI for the Galactic Map shows key information regarding the system selected. The Information that is displayed is:
- Star system name
- Spectral class
- Presence of planets with seas or oceans (Water)
- Presence of dissonant planets (Dissonant)
- The region the system ID is part of
- Dominant Lifeform
- Economy (Requires Economy Scanner)
- Conflict Level (Requires Conflict Scanner)
- Distance from the Galaxy Centre
- Based on camera position. If clicked based on the circle around the system.
- Geometry is needed to calculate the actual distance in the center of the circle as done by No Man's Sky in its initial iterations.
- Mods can be used on PC to display the exact distance to centre like the game did pre-Beyond.
Classification[]
Spectral Class/Colour[]
There are five colours of star systems.
- Yellow star systems (Classes F & G) are the most common. Planets in these systems will have Copper or Activated Copper.
- Red and orange star systems (Classes M & K) are uncommon and can only be accessed with Cadmium Drive or above. Planets in these systems will have Cadmium or Activated Cadmium.
- Green star systems (Class E) are rare and can only be accessed with Emeril Drive or above. Planets in these systems will have Emeril or Activated Emeril.
- Blue star systems (Classes B & O) are rare and can only be accessed with Indium Drive or above. Planets in these systems will have Indium or Activated Indium.
- Purple star systems (Classes X & Y) are rare and can only be accessed with Atlantid Drive. Planets in these systems will have Quartzite or Activated Quartzite.
- Purple star systems are the only ones which contain Crystallised Helium and Lithium, but aren't guaranteed to do so.
Number of Stars[]
Irangbi VI, a Ternary Star System.
There are three possibilities for the number of stars in a system. Each star will have a different colour, where one star will represent system properties such as it's colour on the Galactic Map and unique resource.
- Single-star systems have one star and are the most common.
- Binary systems have two stars.
- Ternary systems have three stars.
There are systems so close to each other (<= 2 ly) that they would classify as a binary or at least a double star system. Even though their proximity should make them visible, they were not reflected in the skyboxes ingame. Examples of this phenomenon are Olenwag and Houdat. Two lightyears hereby refers to the realistic distance the gravitational pull of a small sun can reach based on its Hill sphere.
Influence on Planet Generation[]
Planet Generation parameters are influenced by star system types, as well as galaxy types (see Biome Probabilities). However, galaxy types only alter yellow star systems, therefore red, green, and blue stars have similar parameters across all galaxies.
- The odds for exotic biomes, in any galaxy, are: Red (x3) > Green (x1) < Blue (x2). In Imperfect and Raging galaxies, yellow stars will rarely have exotic planets. In Ancestral galaxies, yellow stars have the same chance for exotic planets as green and blue stars.
- In Normal and Harsh galaxies, yellow stars have 2x more chance to have lush planets.
- In Lush galaxies, yellow stars have 4x more chance to have lush planets, and 4x lower chance to have dead planets, compared to other stars in that galaxy.
- In Empty galaxies, yellow stars have 2x more chance to have dead planets, and lush planets have the same chance as other stars in that galaxy.
Other classifications[]
Uncharted star systems have no structures including space stations. Abandoned star systems have only ruins and abandoned structures, without any Fauna. Pirate-controlled star systems have an abundance of Pirate activity and solar ships are frequently found.
The tables below show the chances for abandoned, uncharted and pirate-controlled systems per star color:
- Abandoned systems
| Yellow | Red | Green | Blue | Purple |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0% | 0% | 10% | 10% | 35% |
- Uncharted systems
| Yellow | Red | Green | Blue | Purple |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0% | 95% | 40% | 40% | 20% |
- Pirate-controlled systems
| Yellow | Red | Green | Blue | Purple |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25% | 50% | 15% | 15% | 5% |
Noteworthily, all abandoned and uncharted systems were inhabited before the overhaul of their generation in NEXT and have been wiped out artificially. Similarly, pirate-controlled systems were not pirate-controlled before their introduction in Outlaws.
Classification Exceptions[]
Certain types of star systems cannot be distinguishable based solely on their color or spectral class. This includes star systems containing:
- Atlas Interfaces (systemid = 122)
- Black Holes (systemid = 121)
Without a quest or ability to guide the player, both the Atlas Station and the Black Hole can be found by help of a portal. Once visited it can be tracked down by selecting the system from the discovery menu as waypoint after returning home.
Atlas Station: 07A07A
Black Hole System: 079079
Gateway systems[]
Gateway systems are special systems that can be found near the Galaxy Centre. The player can only jump into the centre from a gateway system, which requires a starship with a fully charged Hyperdrive.
Each galaxy has several gateway systems and these can be located on the Galactic Map by choosing the Galactic Core as the destination. The player will be directed to the nearest one on their path to the core.
Each galaxy page contains a list of documented gateway systems.
Outlaw Systems[]
Outlaw systems can be identified in the Galactic Map with a Conflict Scanner or Economy Scanner. They have their own unique Space Station with an unique set of NPC's selling counterfeit technology and trading goods.
The following table holds the probability of outlaw systems:
| Yellow | Red | Green | Blue | Purple |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25% | 50% | 15% | 15% | 5% |
Concentration of star systems[]
A concentration of star systems.
It is possible to find a concentration of star systems in the galaxy. Those concentrations are extremely rare and have a colourful blur. It is unknown if those stars are any different from the standard. Multiple blue, red, and green stars can be found in these.
Naming conventions[]
All star systems receive a random name from the initial seed. When discovered, they may be renamed by the discoverer. There are a variety of Star System Nomenclature options for choosing a star name, or random names may be chosen at will.
As with planetary discoveries, players are limited to 42 characters when renaming a star system.
Space Encounters[]
The classification of star systems influences which space encounters can trigger when using the pulse drive of your starship within a system.
Known star systems[]
For a list of known star systems, see the star system category.
Known star systems (pre-release)[]
For a list of known pre-release star systems, see the Pre-release star system category.
Additional Information[]
- Abandoned, Uncharted and Outlaw system probabilities extracted from the 5.53 version of the GCSOLARGENERATIONGLOBALS.GLOBAL.MBIN game file.
Release history[]
- Atlas Rises - the letter and number part of a star's classification were temporarily removed. It was restored as part of Update 1.38, but without Black Holes. Atlas Stations and Black Holes now show the spectral class of their actual star.
- NEXT - the warp drive classifications changed, replacing Sigma/Red, Tau/Green, and Theta/Blue
- Abyss - Systems with ocean worlds are now indicated with "Water" after the star classification.
- Origins - Binary and ternary systems are added to the game, biome probabilities changed.
- Prisms - Sky look has changed, more stars are now visible.
- Outlaws - Outlaw systems were added.
- Interceptor - Systems with dissonant worlds are now indicated with "Dissonant" after the star classification.
- Worlds Part II - Purple star systems were added.
Gallery[]
-
Star sytem view
NEXT -
Sky view
Prisms -
Galaxy Map Explanation from NMSResources
