KiloNewtonia

KiloNewtonia is a fictional astronomical object used in science fiction and educational contexts to illustrate concepts of planetary physics and force interactions. It is not an object recognized by real-world astronomy and has no official status in planetary catalogs.

Etymology and naming: The name combines the SI unit of force, the newton, with the prefix kilo-, and the conventional -ia suffix used for planet names in fiction. In various works, KiloNewtonia may refer to a single planet or to a small planetary system bearing that name.

In fiction and pedagogy: In many depictions, KiloNewtonia is portrayed as a planet or substellar body situated in a distant star system. The name is often used to discuss how large forces, scale, and gravity influence surface conditions, atmospheric dynamics, tectonics, and orbital behavior. Authors and educators sometimes treat KiloNewtonia as a framework for thought experiments on how gravity and atmospheric retention scale with mass and radius. Some portrayals imagine it as a world with extreme surface gravity, rugged geology, and high-energy magnetospheric environments; others use it as a baseline for comparing real planets or exoplanets.

Real-world status: There are no confirmed observations or official designations of KiloNewtonia in major astronomical catalogs. When used, it typically serves as a fictional or didactic construct rather than an empirical object.

See also: Kilonewton, Exoplanet, Fictional planets, Thought experiments in physics.