Aurelia and Blue Moon
Encyclopedia
Aurelia and Blue Moon are hypothetical examples of a planet
and a moon
on which extraterrestrial life
could evolve. They are the outcome of a collaboration between television company Blue Wave Productions Ltd. and a group of American and British scientists who were collectively commissioned by National Geographic. The team used a combination of accretion theory, climatology
, and xenobiology to imagine the most likely locations for extraterrestrial life and most probable evolutionary path
such life would take.
The beginning concepts appeared in a two-part television broadcast called Alien Worlds, aired in 2005 in the UK by Channel 4
. Channel 4 has also released a DVD of the program. The show was also aired on the National Geographic Channel
as Extraterrestrial on Monday, May 30, 2005 and focuses more on the alien life on the two worlds.
The first program in the series focused on Aurelia, a hypothetical Earth-sized extrasolar planet
orbiting a red dwarf
star in our local area of the Milky Way
. The second focuses on a moon
called Blue Moon, which orbits an enormous gas giant
that is itself orbiting a binary star system.
. The only exoplanet discovered as of September 2010 which appears to lie well within the habitable zone is Gliese 581 g.
The smallest planet yet found, Gliese 581 g, has a mass larger than Earth's and orbits the red dwarf star Gliese 581
. All currently known smaller extra solar bodies orbit pulsar PSR 1257+12.
The sensitivity of current detection methods makes it difficult for scientists to search for terrestrial planets smaller than this. To allow smaller bodies to be detected, NASA
was studying a project called the Terrestrial Planet Finder
(TPF), a two-telescope
concept slated to begin launching around 2014. However, Congressional spending limits under House Resolution 20 passed on January 31, 2007 by the U.S. House of Representatives and February 14 by the U.S. Senate have all but canceled the program.
Prior to TPF's cancellation, astrophysicists had begun speculating about the best places to point the telescope in order to find Earth-like planets. While life on earth has formed around a stable yellow dwarf
, solar twins are not as common in the galaxy as red dwarf
stars (which have a mass of less than one-half that of the Sun and consequently emit less heat), or bigger, brighter blue giant
s. In addition, it is estimated that more than a quarter of all stars are at least binary system
s, with as many as 10% of these systems containing more than two stars (trinary etc.)—unlike our own sun, which has no companion. Therefore it may be prudent to consider how life might evolve in such environments. Such speculation may still be of use should a future planet-finding telescope be launched, and possibly for NASA's Kepler mission.
, red dwarfs have an enormous estimated lifespan; allowing plenty of time for life to evolve on surrounding planets. Also, red dwarves are very common in the universe. Therefore, if they support habitable planets, it substantially increases the chances of finding life in the universe. However, being much dimmer than other stars, it will be harder to detect planetary systems around them. In addition, lower gravity would limit the potential size of a system. The discovery of Gliese 581 g raises hopes of finding more red dwarf systems, including potentially habitable ones.
's surface. The cost of such an orbit would be that an Earth-sized body would become tidally locked. When this happens, the object presents the same face to its parent at all times as it orbits, just as the Moon does with the Earth (more technically, one sidereal day is exactly equal to one year for the orbiting body).
. Having such a slow rotation would weaken the magnetic effect
that protects the atmosphere from being blown away by solar wind
(see Rare Earth hypothesis
).
). Due to this, Aurelia would not have seasons or a day-night cycle, as half of Aurelia would be in perpetual darkness and would be in a permanent ice age
. The other half would contain a giant, unending hurricane with permanent torrential rain at the point directly opposite the local star. In between these two zones would be a place suitable for life.
This hurricane could perhaps generate enormous waves in the ocean and the waves would migrate outwards. Oceanographers
should test how high these waves would be in the postulated nearby swamps and delta area. They would be wind driven waves and would not reach from the top of an ocean to the bottom like a Tsunami
. Nonetheless, waves as big and as devastating as those that humans call freak waves might be regular. Simple bacterial and algal life would not be threatened.
, due to rain runoff from the nearby storm.
At the far end of assumptions about Aurelia were attempts to construct lifeforms based on Earthly evolution
ary models and how ecosystem
s might develop. The scientists assumptions included the idea that the long life of a red dwarf allows for evolution to fine tune any ecosystem on the planet. The scientists involved in the project hypothesized that the vast majority, if not all, of extra-solar biology will be carbon based
.
This assumption is often referred to by critics as carbon chauvinism
, as it may be possible for life to form that is not based on carbon
.
From this carbon-based hypothesis the scientific team assumed some form of staple photosynthesizing
animal/plant combination would be the principal autotroph
. They decided upon a plant-like creature called a Stinger Fan. It has five heart
s and limited mobility. Its fan-like leaves trap the red dwarf star's energy to produce sugars. Its hearts pump them around its body.
Feeding upon the Stinger Fans are six-legged semi-amphibious creatures called Mudpods, based somewhat upon beaver
s. They use their long, continually growing thumb claws to cut down a Stinger Fan and dam the river systems, creating artificial lagoons and swamps which provide safety from predators. Upon that animal, a large emu
-like carnivore
, a Gulphog, is the main predator. These 2 meter tall carnivores live socially in packs, and display promising signs of intelligence. Finally, there is a second semi-amphibious creature called the Hysteria - a cross between a plague of tadpole
s and piranha
. These tiny, orange creatures can collect together (in a manner similar to slime molds) and form one huge super-organism, moving together up banks to paralyze and consume other animals. Scabian Slugs that live by the water can fall victim to the Hysteria, but it can take something as large as a Gulphog to satisfy them.
The planet's ecosystem suffers from a number of particular peculiarities, most notably evolutionary quirks to allow all living organisms to detect and avoid solar flare
s. Red dwarf stars are unstable and eject frequent solar flares. Such intense ultraviolet
radiation
is deadly to all carbon-based life forms as it breaks down the atomic bonds formed by organic compounds. The Gulphogs have adapted by having an ultraviolet light sensitive eye on top of their heads. Stinger Fans fold up to protect themselves. Mudpods have sensitive backs that can sense the ultraviolet rays. The Hysteria's adaption is unknown. However, the flare stage might only be when the red dwarfs are relatively young. See How Life could Evolve in a Red Dwarf Star System
Blue Moon is covered in life-giving water and an atmosphere
so dense that enormous creatures can take flight. The Blue Moon orbits a Water Cloud Jovian planet (a Jupiter-like planet that is cool enough to have visible rain clouds in its atmosphere) orbiting a close binary star system. The Blue Moon itself is roughly an earth mass but has an air pressure around three times that of Earth's at sea level.
A distinguishing feature of Blue Moon is that it has no polar ice cap
s: the thick atmosphere keeps temperatures constant across the moon's surface. There is also a greenish haze over the moon from large carpets of floating moss and algae.
The denser atmosphere allows more massive creatures to remain airborne than on Earth. Skywhales, gargantuan whale
-like animals which evolved away from the ocean into the air, fill the ecological niche this creates. Because of the increased muscle power from excess atmospheric oxygen, these creatures can have wingspans of ten meters and remain airborne their entire lives. They feed on the previously mentioned air moss. They evolved from sea-going animals into flying ones in one evolutionary leap.
High levels of oxygen
(30% of the atmosphere) push the atmosphere to the brink of spontaneous combustion during lightning storms. Carbon dioxide
levels are thirty times higher than on Earth making the air clammy and warm. Like our moon, Blue Moon is tidally locked, meaning it keeps the same side of the moon faced towards its planet.
With an orbital time of roughly ten days, that means five days of continuous night and five days of continuous daytime. The long days and nights also create strong cross-hemisphere
winds that help keep the Skywhales afloat, in addition to the density of the atmosphere and its increased oxygen concentration compared to Earth.
Skywhales are prey to the insect
-like caped stalkers, colony-living predators that have several different tasks. Scouts find skywhales and mark them with a special scent, then return to the nest to spread the word. Workers then swarm out in huge numbers, detecting the whale and working together to bring them down from the sky and kill them. Finally, there is a queen, who stays in the nest and constantly lays eggs that become new stalkers. This lifestyle is based on earth's hornet
s. The Stalkers are also prey, for the Pagoda branches are draped with the lethal webs of the plant-like ghost traps. Once a stalker is caught in a ghost trap web, the carnivore uses its tentacles to lift its catch up into its mouth, to be digested by the acid in a primitive stomach.
As well as skywhales, giant kites also fly above the forest canopy. These parasol-like grazers can grow up to 5 m (16.4 ft) in diameter and still stay airborne. Their tethers help control their floating, while their jellyfish
-like tentacles snatch Helibug larvæ from the water-filled skyponds. Helibugs have a trilaterally symmetrical body plan, with three eyes, three wings, three legs, three mouth parts and three tongues.
70% of Blue Moon's land mass is coated in two main plant types, pagoda trees and balloon plants. Pagoda trees interconnect with each other to allow them to grow 700 ft (213.4 m) tall. Their hollow leaves collect rainwater, since the trees are too tall to draw it from the ground. Balloon plants release their seeds by filling them with hydrogen to float in the dense atmosphere, in a way similar to kelp
on Earth.
The Blue Moon is threatened by mass wildfires that can wipe out entire pagoda forests. Balloon plants grow in the gaps resulting. The floating balloons released by the plants are full of explosive hydrogen, and when a fire hits, they explode like bombs, releasing seeds flying through the air. Skywhales and kites will gain altitude until the fire ends. The stalkers escape strategy is unknown.
It is possible that the group that created the series made more habitable planets, because on the screen they
used to upload the newly created worlds (namely, Aurelia and Blue Moon), more planets were shown. It is possible
that a "Planet M" was also created.
Research efforts
Planet
A planet is a celestial body orbiting a star or stellar remnant that is massive enough to be rounded by its own gravity, is not massive enough to cause thermonuclear fusion, and has cleared its neighbouring region of planetesimals.The term planet is ancient, with ties to history, science,...
and a moon
Natural satellite
A natural satellite or moon is a celestial body that orbits a planet or smaller body, which is called its primary. The two terms are used synonymously for non-artificial satellites of planets, of dwarf planets, and of minor planets....
on which extraterrestrial life
Extraterrestrial life
Extraterrestrial life is defined as life that does not originate from Earth...
could evolve. They are the outcome of a collaboration between television company Blue Wave Productions Ltd. and a group of American and British scientists who were collectively commissioned by National Geographic. The team used a combination of accretion theory, climatology
Climatology
Climatology is the study of climate, scientifically defined as weather conditions averaged over a period of time, and is a branch of the atmospheric sciences...
, and xenobiology to imagine the most likely locations for extraterrestrial life and most probable evolutionary path
Evolution
Evolution is any change across successive generations in the heritable characteristics of biological populations. Evolutionary processes give rise to diversity at every level of biological organisation, including species, individual organisms and molecules such as DNA and proteins.Life on Earth...
such life would take.
The beginning concepts appeared in a two-part television broadcast called Alien Worlds, aired in 2005 in the UK by Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
. Channel 4 has also released a DVD of the program. The show was also aired on the National Geographic Channel
National Geographic Channel
National Geographic Channel, also commercially abbreviated and trademarked as Nat Geo, is a subscription television channel that airs non-fiction television programs produced by the National Geographic Society. Like History and the Discovery Channel, the channel features documentaries with factual...
as Extraterrestrial on Monday, May 30, 2005 and focuses more on the alien life on the two worlds.
The first program in the series focused on Aurelia, a hypothetical Earth-sized extrasolar planet
Extrasolar planet
An extrasolar planet, or exoplanet, is a planet outside the Solar System. A total of such planets have been identified as of . It is now known that a substantial fraction of stars have planets, including perhaps half of all Sun-like stars...
orbiting a red dwarf
Red dwarf
According to the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram, a red dwarf star is a small and relatively cool star, of the main sequence, either late K or M spectral type....
star in our local area of the Milky Way
Milky Way
The Milky Way is the galaxy that contains the Solar System. This name derives from its appearance as a dim un-resolved "milky" glowing band arching across the night sky...
. The second focuses on a moon
Moon
The Moon is Earth's only known natural satellite,There are a number of near-Earth asteroids including 3753 Cruithne that are co-orbital with Earth: their orbits bring them close to Earth for periods of time but then alter in the long term . These are quasi-satellites and not true moons. For more...
called Blue Moon, which orbits an enormous gas giant
Gas giant
A gas giant is a large planet that is not primarily composed of rock or other solid matter. There are four gas giants in the Solar System: Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune...
that is itself orbiting a binary star system.
Reasons for theorizing
Discoveries regarding extrasolar planets were first published in 1989 raising the prospect of whether life (as we know it or imagine it) could be supported on other planets. It is currently believed that for this to happen a planet must orbit in a relatively narrow band around its parent star, where temperatures are suitable for water to exist as a liquid. This region is called the habitable zoneHabitable zone
In astronomy and astrobiology, a habitable zone is an umbrella term for regions that are considered favourable to life. The concept is inferred from the empirical study of conditions favourable for Life on Earth...
. The only exoplanet discovered as of September 2010 which appears to lie well within the habitable zone is Gliese 581 g.
The smallest planet yet found, Gliese 581 g, has a mass larger than Earth's and orbits the red dwarf star Gliese 581
Gliese 581
Gliese 581 is a red dwarf star with spectral type M3V, located 20.3 light years away from Earth in the constellation Libra. Its estimated mass is about a third of that of the Sun, and it is the 89th closest known star system to the Sun. Observations suggest that the star has at least six planets:...
. All currently known smaller extra solar bodies orbit pulsar PSR 1257+12.
The sensitivity of current detection methods makes it difficult for scientists to search for terrestrial planets smaller than this. To allow smaller bodies to be detected, NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
was studying a project called the Terrestrial Planet Finder
Terrestrial Planet Finder
The Terrestrial Planet Finder was a proposed project by NASA to construct a system of telescopes for detecting extrasolar terrestrial planets. TPF was postponed several times and finally cancelled...
(TPF), a two-telescope
Telescope
A telescope is an instrument that aids in the observation of remote objects by collecting electromagnetic radiation . The first known practical telescopes were invented in the Netherlands at the beginning of the 1600s , using glass lenses...
concept slated to begin launching around 2014. However, Congressional spending limits under House Resolution 20 passed on January 31, 2007 by the U.S. House of Representatives and February 14 by the U.S. Senate have all but canceled the program.
Prior to TPF's cancellation, astrophysicists had begun speculating about the best places to point the telescope in order to find Earth-like planets. While life on earth has formed around a stable yellow dwarf
Yellow dwarf
A G-type main-sequence star , often called a yellow dwarf, is a main-sequence star of spectral type G and luminosity class V. Such a star has about 0.8 to 1.2 solar masses and surface temperature of between 5,300 and 6,000 K., Tables VII, VIII...
, solar twins are not as common in the galaxy as red dwarf
Red dwarf
According to the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram, a red dwarf star is a small and relatively cool star, of the main sequence, either late K or M spectral type....
stars (which have a mass of less than one-half that of the Sun and consequently emit less heat), or bigger, brighter blue giant
Blue giant
In astronomy, a blue giant is a star with a spectral type of O or B and a luminosity class of III...
s. In addition, it is estimated that more than a quarter of all stars are at least binary system
Binary system
Binary system may refer to:* Binary numeral system, the base-2 internal "machine language" of computers* Binary opposition, a bipolar distinction in philosophy, structuralism and critical theory...
s, with as many as 10% of these systems containing more than two stars (trinary etc.)—unlike our own sun, which has no companion. Therefore it may be prudent to consider how life might evolve in such environments. Such speculation may still be of use should a future planet-finding telescope be launched, and possibly for NASA's Kepler mission.
Aurelia
The scientists on the project theorized that aiming the TPF at a red dwarf star might yield the best opportunities for seeing smaller planets. Due to the slow rate at which they burn hydrogenHydrogen
Hydrogen is the chemical element with atomic number 1. It is represented by the symbol H. With an average atomic weight of , hydrogen is the lightest and most abundant chemical element, constituting roughly 75% of the Universe's chemical elemental mass. Stars in the main sequence are mainly...
, red dwarfs have an enormous estimated lifespan; allowing plenty of time for life to evolve on surrounding planets. Also, red dwarves are very common in the universe. Therefore, if they support habitable planets, it substantially increases the chances of finding life in the universe. However, being much dimmer than other stars, it will be harder to detect planetary systems around them. In addition, lower gravity would limit the potential size of a system. The discovery of Gliese 581 g raises hopes of finding more red dwarf systems, including potentially habitable ones.
Tidal lock
However, the dwarf's smaller nature and feeble heat/light output would mean that such a planet would need to be particularly close to the starStar
A star is a massive, luminous sphere of plasma held together by gravity. At the end of its lifetime, a star can also contain a proportion of degenerate matter. The nearest star to Earth is the Sun, which is the source of most of the energy on Earth...
's surface. The cost of such an orbit would be that an Earth-sized body would become tidally locked. When this happens, the object presents the same face to its parent at all times as it orbits, just as the Moon does with the Earth (more technically, one sidereal day is exactly equal to one year for the orbiting body).
Traditional theories
Traditional scientific theories proposed that such a tidally locked planet might be incapable of holding on to an atmosphereAtmosphere
An atmosphere is a layer of gases that may surround a material body of sufficient mass, and that is held in place by the gravity of the body. An atmosphere may be retained for a longer duration, if the gravity is high and the atmosphere's temperature is low...
. Having such a slow rotation would weaken the magnetic effect
Earth's magnetic field
Earth's magnetic field is the magnetic field that extends from the Earth's inner core to where it meets the solar wind, a stream of energetic particles emanating from the Sun...
that protects the atmosphere from being blown away by solar wind
Solar wind
The solar wind is a stream of charged particles ejected from the upper atmosphere of the Sun. It mostly consists of electrons and protons with energies usually between 1.5 and 10 keV. The stream of particles varies in temperature and speed over time...
(see Rare Earth hypothesis
Rare Earth hypothesis
In planetary astronomy and astrobiology, the Rare Earth hypothesis argues that the emergence of complex multicellular life on Earth required an improbable combination of astrophysical and geological events and circumstances...
).
Traditional assumptions tested
Nonetheless, the scientists employed by the programme decided to test the traditional assumptions for such a planet and start a model out for it from a proplyd through to its eventual death. Their estimations suggested such a planet could indeed hold on to its atmosphere, although with freakishly unusual results by Earth standards. Aurelia would be gravitationally locked to its star (a red dwarfRed dwarf
According to the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram, a red dwarf star is a small and relatively cool star, of the main sequence, either late K or M spectral type....
). Due to this, Aurelia would not have seasons or a day-night cycle, as half of Aurelia would be in perpetual darkness and would be in a permanent ice age
Ice age
An ice age or, more precisely, glacial age, is a generic geological period of long-term reduction in the temperature of the Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental ice sheets, polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers...
. The other half would contain a giant, unending hurricane with permanent torrential rain at the point directly opposite the local star. In between these two zones would be a place suitable for life.
This hurricane could perhaps generate enormous waves in the ocean and the waves would migrate outwards. Oceanographers
Oceanography
Oceanography , also called oceanology or marine science, is the branch of Earth science that studies the ocean...
should test how high these waves would be in the postulated nearby swamps and delta area. They would be wind driven waves and would not reach from the top of an ocean to the bottom like a Tsunami
Tsunami
A tsunami is a series of water waves caused by the displacement of a large volume of a body of water, typically an ocean or a large lake...
. Nonetheless, waves as big and as devastating as those that humans call freak waves might be regular. Simple bacterial and algal life would not be threatened.
Continued theories
The theorizations continued, and assuming that there was land in this habitable zone, it would be likely to form large networks of river deltas and swamplandSwampland
In physics, the term swampland is used in contrast to the term "landscape," to indicate physical theories or aspects of such theories which could be true if gravity wasn't an issue, but which are not compatible with string theory...
, due to rain runoff from the nearby storm.
At the far end of assumptions about Aurelia were attempts to construct lifeforms based on Earthly evolution
Evolution
Evolution is any change across successive generations in the heritable characteristics of biological populations. Evolutionary processes give rise to diversity at every level of biological organisation, including species, individual organisms and molecules such as DNA and proteins.Life on Earth...
ary models and how ecosystem
Ecosystem
An ecosystem is a biological environment consisting of all the organisms living in a particular area, as well as all the nonliving , physical components of the environment with which the organisms interact, such as air, soil, water and sunlight....
s might develop. The scientists assumptions included the idea that the long life of a red dwarf allows for evolution to fine tune any ecosystem on the planet. The scientists involved in the project hypothesized that the vast majority, if not all, of extra-solar biology will be carbon based
Carbon-based life
Carbon forms the backbone of biology for all of life on Earth. Complex molecules are made up of carbon bonded with other elements, especially oxygen, hydrogen and nitrogen, and carbon is able to bond with all of these because of its four valence electrons. Carbon is abundant on earth...
.
This assumption is often referred to by critics as carbon chauvinism
Carbon chauvinism
Carbon chauvinism is a neologism meant to disparage the assumption that the chemical processes of hypothetical extraterrestrial life must be constructed primarily from carbon , as carbon's chemical and thermodynamic properties render it far superior to all other elements.-Concept:The term was used...
, as it may be possible for life to form that is not based on carbon
Alternative biochemistry
Hypothetical types of biochemistry are forms of biochemistry speculated to be scientifically viable but not proven to exist at this time. While the kinds of living beings we know on earth commonly use carbon for basic structural and metabolic functions, water as a solvent and DNA or RNA to define...
.
From this carbon-based hypothesis the scientific team assumed some form of staple photosynthesizing
Photosynthesis
Photosynthesis is a chemical process that converts carbon dioxide into organic compounds, especially sugars, using the energy from sunlight. Photosynthesis occurs in plants, algae, and many species of bacteria, but not in archaea. Photosynthetic organisms are called photoautotrophs, since they can...
animal/plant combination would be the principal autotroph
Autotroph
An autotroph, or producer, is an organism that produces complex organic compounds from simple inorganic molecules using energy from light or inorganic chemical reactions . They are the producers in a food chain, such as plants on land or algae in water...
. They decided upon a plant-like creature called a Stinger Fan. It has five heart
Heart
The heart is a myogenic muscular organ found in all animals with a circulatory system , that is responsible for pumping blood throughout the blood vessels by repeated, rhythmic contractions...
s and limited mobility. Its fan-like leaves trap the red dwarf star's energy to produce sugars. Its hearts pump them around its body.
Feeding upon the Stinger Fans are six-legged semi-amphibious creatures called Mudpods, based somewhat upon beaver
Beaver
The beaver is a primarily nocturnal, large, semi-aquatic rodent. Castor includes two extant species, North American Beaver and Eurasian Beaver . Beavers are known for building dams, canals, and lodges . They are the second-largest rodent in the world...
s. They use their long, continually growing thumb claws to cut down a Stinger Fan and dam the river systems, creating artificial lagoons and swamps which provide safety from predators. Upon that animal, a large emu
Emu
The Emu Dromaius novaehollandiae) is the largest bird native to Australia and the only extant member of the genus Dromaius. It is the second-largest extant bird in the world by height, after its ratite relative, the ostrich. There are three subspecies of Emus in Australia...
-like carnivore
Carnivore
A carnivore meaning 'meat eater' is an organism that derives its energy and nutrient requirements from a diet consisting mainly or exclusively of animal tissue, whether through predation or scavenging...
, a Gulphog, is the main predator. These 2 meter tall carnivores live socially in packs, and display promising signs of intelligence. Finally, there is a second semi-amphibious creature called the Hysteria - a cross between a plague of tadpole
Tadpole
A tadpole or polliwog is the wholly aquatic larval stage in the life cycle of an amphibian, particularly that of a frog or toad.- Appellation :...
s and piranha
Piranha
A piranha or piraña is a member of family Characidae in order Characiformes, an omnivorous freshwater fish that inhabits South American rivers. In Venezuela, they are called caribes...
. These tiny, orange creatures can collect together (in a manner similar to slime molds) and form one huge super-organism, moving together up banks to paralyze and consume other animals. Scabian Slugs that live by the water can fall victim to the Hysteria, but it can take something as large as a Gulphog to satisfy them.
The planet's ecosystem suffers from a number of particular peculiarities, most notably evolutionary quirks to allow all living organisms to detect and avoid solar flare
Solar flare
A solar flare is a sudden brightening observed over the Sun surface or the solar limb, which is interpreted as a large energy release of up to 6 × 1025 joules of energy . The flare ejects clouds of electrons, ions, and atoms through the corona into space. These clouds typically reach Earth a day...
s. Red dwarf stars are unstable and eject frequent solar flares. Such intense ultraviolet
Ultraviolet
Ultraviolet light is electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength shorter than that of visible light, but longer than X-rays, in the range 10 nm to 400 nm, and energies from 3 eV to 124 eV...
radiation
Radiation
In physics, radiation is a process in which energetic particles or energetic waves travel through a medium or space. There are two distinct types of radiation; ionizing and non-ionizing...
is deadly to all carbon-based life forms as it breaks down the atomic bonds formed by organic compounds. The Gulphogs have adapted by having an ultraviolet light sensitive eye on top of their heads. Stinger Fans fold up to protect themselves. Mudpods have sensitive backs that can sense the ultraviolet rays. The Hysteria's adaption is unknown. However, the flare stage might only be when the red dwarfs are relatively young. See How Life could Evolve in a Red Dwarf Star System
See also
- Habitability of red dwarf systems
- Gliese 581Gliese 581Gliese 581 is a red dwarf star with spectral type M3V, located 20.3 light years away from Earth in the constellation Libra. Its estimated mass is about a third of that of the Sun, and it is the 89th closest known star system to the Sun. Observations suggest that the star has at least six planets:...
- HD 85512
Blue Moon
Atmosphere
An atmosphere is a layer of gases that may surround a material body of sufficient mass, and that is held in place by the gravity of the body. An atmosphere may be retained for a longer duration, if the gravity is high and the atmosphere's temperature is low...
so dense that enormous creatures can take flight. The Blue Moon orbits a Water Cloud Jovian planet (a Jupiter-like planet that is cool enough to have visible rain clouds in its atmosphere) orbiting a close binary star system. The Blue Moon itself is roughly an earth mass but has an air pressure around three times that of Earth's at sea level.
A distinguishing feature of Blue Moon is that it has no polar ice cap
Polar ice cap
A polar ice cap is a high latitude region of a planet or natural satellite that is covered in ice. There are no requirements with respect to size or composition for a body of ice to be termed a polar ice cap, nor any geological requirement for it to be over land; only that it must be a body of...
s: the thick atmosphere keeps temperatures constant across the moon's surface. There is also a greenish haze over the moon from large carpets of floating moss and algae.
The denser atmosphere allows more massive creatures to remain airborne than on Earth. Skywhales, gargantuan whale
Whale
Whale is the common name for various marine mammals of the order Cetacea. The term whale sometimes refers to all cetaceans, but more often it excludes dolphins and porpoises, which belong to suborder Odontoceti . This suborder also includes the sperm whale, killer whale, pilot whale, and beluga...
-like animals which evolved away from the ocean into the air, fill the ecological niche this creates. Because of the increased muscle power from excess atmospheric oxygen, these creatures can have wingspans of ten meters and remain airborne their entire lives. They feed on the previously mentioned air moss. They evolved from sea-going animals into flying ones in one evolutionary leap.
High levels of oxygen
Oxygen
Oxygen is the element with atomic number 8 and represented by the symbol O. Its name derives from the Greek roots ὀξύς and -γενής , because at the time of naming, it was mistakenly thought that all acids required oxygen in their composition...
(30% of the atmosphere) push the atmosphere to the brink of spontaneous combustion during lightning storms. Carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide is a naturally occurring chemical compound composed of two oxygen atoms covalently bonded to a single carbon atom...
levels are thirty times higher than on Earth making the air clammy and warm. Like our moon, Blue Moon is tidally locked, meaning it keeps the same side of the moon faced towards its planet.
With an orbital time of roughly ten days, that means five days of continuous night and five days of continuous daytime. The long days and nights also create strong cross-hemisphere
Hemisphere
Hemisphere may refer to:*Half of a sphereAs half of the Earth:*Any half of the Earth, see Hemispheres of the Earth, see:...
winds that help keep the Skywhales afloat, in addition to the density of the atmosphere and its increased oxygen concentration compared to Earth.
Skywhales are prey to the insect
Insect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
-like caped stalkers, colony-living predators that have several different tasks. Scouts find skywhales and mark them with a special scent, then return to the nest to spread the word. Workers then swarm out in huge numbers, detecting the whale and working together to bring them down from the sky and kill them. Finally, there is a queen, who stays in the nest and constantly lays eggs that become new stalkers. This lifestyle is based on earth's hornet
Hornet
Hornets are the largest eusocial wasps; some species can reach up to in length. The true hornets make up the genus Vespa and are distinguished from other vespines by the width of the vertex , which is proportionally larger in Vespa and by the anteriorly rounded gasters .- Life cycle :In...
s. The Stalkers are also prey, for the Pagoda branches are draped with the lethal webs of the plant-like ghost traps. Once a stalker is caught in a ghost trap web, the carnivore uses its tentacles to lift its catch up into its mouth, to be digested by the acid in a primitive stomach.
As well as skywhales, giant kites also fly above the forest canopy. These parasol-like grazers can grow up to 5 m (16.4 ft) in diameter and still stay airborne. Their tethers help control their floating, while their jellyfish
Jellyfish
Jellyfish are free-swimming members of the phylum Cnidaria. Medusa is another word for jellyfish, and refers to any free-swimming jellyfish stages in the phylum Cnidaria...
-like tentacles snatch Helibug larvæ from the water-filled skyponds. Helibugs have a trilaterally symmetrical body plan, with three eyes, three wings, three legs, three mouth parts and three tongues.
70% of Blue Moon's land mass is coated in two main plant types, pagoda trees and balloon plants. Pagoda trees interconnect with each other to allow them to grow 700 ft (213.4 m) tall. Their hollow leaves collect rainwater, since the trees are too tall to draw it from the ground. Balloon plants release their seeds by filling them with hydrogen to float in the dense atmosphere, in a way similar to kelp
Kelp
Kelps are large seaweeds belonging to the brown algae in the order Laminariales. There are about 30 different genera....
on Earth.
The Blue Moon is threatened by mass wildfires that can wipe out entire pagoda forests. Balloon plants grow in the gaps resulting. The floating balloons released by the plants are full of explosive hydrogen, and when a fire hits, they explode like bombs, releasing seeds flying through the air. Skywhales and kites will gain altitude until the fire ends. The stalkers escape strategy is unknown.
See also
- 55 Cancri55 Cancri55 Cancri , also cataloged Rho1 Cancri or abbreviated 55 Cnc, is a binary star approximately 41 light-years away from Earth in the constellation of Cancer...
- HD 28185
- HD 10180HD 10180HD 10180 is a solar-type star. A research team led by Christophe Lovis of the University of Geneva discovered that the star has at least five planets, and possibly as many as seven. It is 127 light-years away, in the southern constellation of Hydrus...
It is possible that the group that created the series made more habitable planets, because on the screen they
used to upload the newly created worlds (namely, Aurelia and Blue Moon), more planets were shown. It is possible
that a "Planet M" was also created.
See also
Concepts and theories- Origin of life
- Panspermia
- Planetary habitabilityPlanetary habitabilityPlanetary habitability is the measure of a planet's or a natural satellite's potential to sustain life. Life may develop directly on a planet or satellite or be transferred to it from another body, a theoretical process known as panspermia...
- Snaiad
- TerraformingTerraformingTerraforming of a planet, moon, or other body is the hypothetical process of deliberately modifying its atmosphere, temperature, surface topography or ecology to be similar to those of Earth, in order to make it habitable by terrestrial organisms.The term is sometimes used more generally as a...
- Xenolinguistics
Research efforts
- Darwin IVDarwin IVDarwin IV is a fictional planet that was the subject of Wayne Barlowe's book Expedition and the television special, Alien Planet, based on Expedition...
- NASA Astrobiology InstituteNASA Astrobiology InstituteThe NASA Astrobiology Institute was established in 1998 by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration "to develop the field of astrobiology and provide a scientific framework for flight missions". The NAI is a virtual, distributed organization that integrates astrobiology research and...
- SETISETIThe search for extraterrestrial intelligence is the collective name for a number of activities people undertake to search for intelligent extraterrestrial life. Some of the most well known projects are run by the SETI Institute. SETI projects use scientific methods to search for intelligent life...
- Alien PlanetAlien PlanetAlien Planet is a 94-minute docufiction, originally airing on the Discovery Channel, about two internationally built robot probes searching for alien life on the fictional planet Darwin IV. It was based on the book Expedition, by sci-fi/fantasy artist and writer Wayne Douglas Barlowe, who was also...
, a similar program on the Discovery ChannelDiscovery ChannelDiscovery Channel is an American satellite and cable specialty channel , founded by John Hendricks and distributed by Discovery Communications. It is a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav...