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| Star Traveler; Alien species for a novel idea that could exists on other planets; both real and fictional. | |
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| Topic Started: Jun 7 2012, 03:56 PM (629 Views) | |
| Akurian452 | Jun 7 2012, 03:56 PM Post #1 |
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Adolescent
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This thread is about another idea for a novel I have called Star Traveler. It is inspired by the John Carter of Mars book series and takes place in our galaxy while having significant differences such as taking place on multiple worlds and having no humans involved (at least I'm currently not planning on involving them). I try to imagine these worlds in a way that takes into account the Fermi Paradox. Anyway, the plot is that a champion from gj 667cc (know locally as Jova) who is considered the prime example of his species (being the tallest, fastest, and most importantly strongest) and winner of Jova's annul competitions for 65 (Jovan) years straight but is losing the will to compete (as the audience grows tired of him) as well as his sense of meaning in life. But his life changes forever when he comes across a strange artifact that teleports him to a planet called Irum where he gains far more incredible speed and strength (just as John Carter did) partially due to the planets lower gravity and the artifact which has merged into his hand. Many significant events occur on this planet, such as meeting a love interest, but the champion gets teleported to other worlds where he encounters other intelligent species and learns about their cultures as well as getting involved in whatever situation may be taking place on those planets. Along the way, he undergoes personal development and discovering new abilities while learning more about the artifact and uncovering a sinister secret that goes beyond any one planet and could threaten all sentient life. Because of his adventures on other worlds, the champion gives himself the name Star Traveler (he never gives his actual name to anyone). So what I'm going to do is go over one planet at a time in the order in which Star Traveler visits them, giving info about the planet and the sentient life that lives there (I'll do other organisms later). I'll include internet picture links to help illustrate. So first up is when the story begins. Star system: triple Parent star: GJ 667C star type: red dwarf planet: Jova (GJ 667Cc) orbital period:28.15 Earth Days (ED) Mass: 4.54 earth mass (EM) surface gravity: approx. 1.7 earth gravity (EG) climate: Mostly arid by Earth's standards, the surface of Jova is rocky with several large bodies of water (http://news.discovery.com/space/2012/03/28/billions-exoplanets-zoom.jpg). Dry land is dotted with black vegetation and Jova's parent star has an angular diameter of 1.24 degrees and appears to be 2.3 times the visual diameter of our sun (info from Wikipedia) with the systems two other stars further out (http://img.gawkerassets.com/img/17il4b6blq480jpg/original.jpg). Since the parent star lacked significant amounts of heavy metals, most of the planets metals came from outside sources such as large asteroids. Sentient life: Jerikai description: With Star Traveler being the prime example, Jerikai are best described as repto-mammalian bipeds (mammalian in their metabolism but lacking fur) that stand a little over 2.5 meter tall including their vertical, dorsal pointing head spines. They can maintain a bipedal position in their higher gravity environment thanks to bladders that store hydrogen which help reduce the overall weight. Their bodies are covered in thick armor plating and have spines that run down the arm, both sides of the top of the head, as well as the neck and back. There are three rows that run down the neck and back with the outer rows. Their eyes see in infrared due the light their sun gives, their nostrils are flat and downward facing, and their mouth are lip-less, revealing teeth-like plates similar to those found on dunkleosteus. Their hands have five digits with the first and fifth finger being opposable. Their legs are best elephantine, designed for shuffling across flat surfaces (to conserve energy when moving) as well as walking/running. Like all life forms on Jova, the Jerikai posses a genetic mutation that,aided with their body armor, allows them to survive extremely high doses of radiation given off by their star (up to 30,000 Gy). culture: Despite their fierce appearance, the Jerikai had every few wars in their recorded history, due to availability large amounts of fertile land and the lack of resources to make truly destructive weapons. However, they take pride in their physique and the nations of Jova maintain hold annul competitions to test their limits, as well as maintain peace and exchange culture and knowledge. These competitions include events such as races, various test of strength, marksmanship, and both armed and unarmed combat. Because heavy metals are hard to access on Jova, the technological complexity of the Jerikai is comparable to humans in the 1900s, though they have a good deal of scientific knowledge. If I can figure out how to post picture that I scanned from my printer I will post them. Feel free to comment or add any input on what changes/improvements I could make to add believability. Edited by Akurian452, Jun 7 2012, 07:40 PM.
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| Akurian452 | Jun 10 2012, 05:57 PM Post #2 |
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Adolescent
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A quick note; I may not give all of the planetary info such as parent star and orbital period unless it is a real planet and I can look it up. Anyway, here's the next one. Star system:single Star type: F class Planet: Irum Mass: 0.5 EM Surface gravity: 0.19 EG Climate: A cooler temperature land scape with a mixture of grasslands, cold deserts, and taiga areas. Though no large water masses exist there are multiple river systems, both natural and artificial, that run for thousands of miles and in some areas are over a hundred miles wide. Sentient life: Besheera, Zhall Besheera description: Standing up to four meters tall, these mammalian, bipedal digitigrades are long limbed, thin bodied and covered with a thin coat of fur. They have two pairs of arms; one in their normal position, and the other, smaller pair located on their chests (a relic once used to carry objects when their ancestors walked on their four primary limbs). Each hand has six fingers (the three on each half oppose each other) and only four, reduced digits on their feet. Their almost spherical heads are supported on a long neck and posses flat, downward curving nostrils and eyes with a third set of transparent eyelid that protect against their star's brightness. Males are females are easily distinguished from each other with males having two pairs of mandibles that fold over the left and right portions of the mouth (leaving the center lips exposed) when relaxed and females having softer features as well as gender specific facial markings. Both genders posses a full set of vicious teeth; another relic of their ancestors used to ward of predators as well as hunting. Zhall description: hybrids of technology and synthetic biology created by the Besheera, the Zhall start out as "protoforms" with body plans similar to their creators. When they reach maturity they each metamorphose into a caste that is determined by their experiences as protoforms. These classes include the 5m tall Zhall primes, the heavily armed soldier Zhall, the enormous carrier Zhall, the dextrous builder Zhall, the adaptable phantom Zhall, and the stealthy flyer Zhall.* As synthetics, the Zhall can withstand extreme conditions and lack the requirement to breath or eat in a natural sense (though their synthetic biology allows them to photosynthesize). However, they need to consume external resources in order to produce offspring. This is usually acquired from minerals, but the Zhall have made it a custom to consume the bodies of their fallen. Besheera culture: The Besheera are a Monarcal race possessing well developed technology as well as impressive scientific knowledge (though they retain some ancestral customs such as the use of swords). With that knowledge they have accomplished some impressive feats such as magnificent airships and organic structures created through synthetic biology. However, that same knowledge comes with the grim awareness that their planet cannot support life for very long (relative to planets with larger mass). They created the Zhall to help produce and construct technologies that could help extend their planets habitability or provide a way off it. For a time, this alliance created a golden age of great progress and inovation. But that age ended when the Zhall attained true consciousness and rebelled against the Besheera when their creators refused to treat them as equals and attempted to wipe their memories. The only fortune the Besheera had was that the Zhall decided to abandon them rather than destroy them. Since then the Besheera have been afraid to make peace with the Zhall and have been trapped in a period of technological stagnation and conflict. The kingdoms of Irum are witnessing the begining of collapse as the people grow restless and their planet draws closer to the end of its habitability. Zhall culture: The Zhall strongly distrust the besheera for their actions against them and have developed a separate society with its own branch of technology (technology that may even pass the Besheera's). They live in a caste system with mature Zhall filling a specific role that ensures the survival of their society. Their only motive is to live as a free race and find no desire or need to destroy the Besheera as their constant warring convinces them that they will destroy themselves. They also feel no concern about their planets habitability as they can survive extreme conditions. They even welcome it as when the Besheera are gone, Irum would belong to them. As warriors they are formidable and any Besheera air armada would dread an encounter with them. Feel free to add any imput or suggestions. *I'll see if I can post pictures of the Zhall because their many castes are to hard for me to describe with words. |
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| Akurian452 | Jun 11 2012, 01:34 AM Post #3 |
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Adolescent
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Here's the next set of info for Gliese 581 d. I know that someone else is doing a project on intelligent life on this planet but hopefully we are different enough to prevent any issues. Star: Gliese 581 Star type: red dwarf Planet: Or'kat (Gliese 581 d) Orbital period:66.87 ED mass:5.6 EM surface gravity:1.71 EG Climate: cooler than earth yet kept warm enough for liquid water to exist through cloud cover and greenhouse gasses. Storms are frequent as over 90% of the planet's surface is covered in water. Sentient life: A'coll Description: the A'coll are large, pterosaurs-like hexapods with four limbs in the normal tetrapod position (the same as pterosaurs) and two underneath the body. The first and second pair of limbs are wings like those of pterosaurs with the first pair overlapping the second. The first pair is the largest, with a wingspan up to 36ft. The middle pair was original used to support the A'colls' bodies on land but later developed into a second pair of membranes wings. Their broad, arrow shaped heads are supported on a long neck and posses a row of heat sensors along the rim of the head, a pair of forward facing nostrils, and a head-crest that aids in steering and sonar. Below the head are five movable mouth parts. the outer four are shaped like three jointed limbs with crab-like pincers at the end while the center is reminiscent of the fore-claws of a mantis. These mouth parts are the primary means of manipulation for the A'coll and feed food down their the throat the cover. Culture: As with the Jerikai, the A'coll never developed sophisticated technology due to the conditions on their planet. Instead, they are a society of fishers who specialize in creating spears and nets. They have learned to manipulate the growth pattern of a terrestrial, coral-like organism to form shelters for when heavy storms approach. They have formed several island nations and fly great distances to trade goods and exchange information with each other. The A'coll are predominantly spiritual with most of their lore tied to the storms and the just visible neihboring planet Or'keu (Gliese 581 c). Again, its hard to describe these aliens when I don't have a picture of them posted for you guys. Edited by Akurian452, Jun 14 2012, 02:16 AM.
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| Oceaniis | Jun 11 2012, 06:51 AM Post #4 |
Adolescent
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Both red dwarf planets are too dense, the last one needed to be nearly 100% iron! |
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| Akurian452 | Jun 11 2012, 12:37 PM Post #5 |
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Adolescent
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Thanks for pointing that out. I got the masses of both red dwarf planets from Wikipedia, though it was hard to find good sources that gave the gravity. In your opinion what should the surface gravity of both planets be? I was hoping to keep the first one at 1.7 because it would have made gaining strength and speed on the second planet more impressive. |
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| Oceaniis | Jun 11 2012, 06:11 PM Post #6 |
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Adolescent
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In order to have 1,7g you can have 4,4EM with 10 261Km radius and a density of 5,8. But this is a very high density for this size... With Earth's density will need 4,8EM and 10 717Km radius, which still is enormous! But I think is plausible... |
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| Arachnus | Jun 11 2012, 06:16 PM Post #7 |
Adult
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Do the A'coll have eyes? You never describe them with eyes. And isn't Gliese 581 D supposed to be a gigantic superterrestrial 7 G world? I might be confused with another planet in the same system. Edited by Arachnus, Jun 11 2012, 06:26 PM.
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| Akurian452 | Jun 11 2012, 09:01 PM Post #8 |
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Adolescent
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@ Oceaniis Thanks for the info, but if you still think the density of the planet is too high, what surface gravity for GJ 667cc do you think is more likely? @Arachnus for your first question, the A'coll don't have eyes because the combination gliese 581 d being mostly covered in clouds and the low spectrum of light emitted by the planet's red dwarf would make eyes pretty useless, at least I would think so. Correct me if I'm wrong. I'm open to editing at this point. For your second question, Glesie 581 d used to be considered a 7G world but later estimates have given the planet a lower mass which is now 5.6 EM (source Wikipedia). |
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| T.Neo | Jun 11 2012, 09:30 PM Post #9 |
Translunar injection: TLI
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Arachnus, gravity doesn't scale linearly with mass. Mars is around a 10-11% Earth's mass if I recall correctly, but has 38% of Earth's gravity. As planetary mass increases, gravity does so at a slower rate. Plus, density can affect gravity as well (which is why Earth and Saturn are wildly different in mass, but have similar gravity). The threat on G581d is it being a world-ocean hundreds or even thousands of kilometers deep. Plus, 5.6 Earth masses is only the minimum bound value. Edited by T.Neo, Jun 11 2012, 09:31 PM.
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| Akurian452 | Jun 11 2012, 10:18 PM Post #10 |
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Adolescent
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"The threat on G581d is it being a world-ocean hundreds or even thousands of kilometers deep." If I recall correctly, I heard that would be the case if Gliese 581 d had a much higher gravity; 7G like Arachnus said. Would the planet's oceans still be that deep if Gliese's mass, denesity, and surface gravity were lower, like 5.6 EM for argument's sake? |
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| T.Neo | Jun 11 2012, 10:33 PM Post #11 |
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Translunar injection: TLI
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Density being lower is exactly what you don't want- it will mean more water. Surface gravity doesn't really matter since it's a product of mass and density. The lower you go in terms of mass, it's probably less likely that your planet will be a world ocean. But 5.6 Earth masses is, of course, only the minimum bound value. |
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| Akurian452 | Jun 11 2012, 10:54 PM Post #12 |
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Adolescent
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For this novel idea I'll go with 5.6 masses if it means there will at least be some islands. I believe they call it "poetic license". Also, sense it is the minimum excepted mass it is believable. Oh, I also forgot to mention that sense Gliese has a higher gravity than earth it also has has higher air pressure which makes flight easier. Therefore, the A'coll could afford to have denser bones to help support their weight when on land. Tell me if this works or not. |
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| Arachnus | Jun 11 2012, 11:07 PM Post #13 |
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Adult
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The gravity is higher, so the air is likely to be denser. Also, T. Neo, I consider any planet at least twice the size of Earth gigantic, considering Earth already is the largest terrestrial planet in the solar system. Edited by Arachnus, Jun 12 2012, 12:29 AM.
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| T.Neo | Jun 12 2012, 06:30 AM Post #14 |
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Translunar injection: TLI
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Flight being easier is a toss up between higher gravity and higher air pressure. Provided the atmosphere were thick enough, flight could be easier than on Earth despite the higher gravity. If gravity were 1.7 times higher, than organisms would need physical adaptations similar to animals in one gravity that are 1.7 times the mass. That doesn't seem particularly difficult to me.
Well, Earth is only what, 20% or so bigger than Venus? Granted, it's far more massive than Mars and Mercury. |
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| Akurian452 | Jun 12 2012, 10:31 AM Post #15 |
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Adolescent
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The 1.7 gravity was for Jova (GJ 667cc), though I have though of some flying creatures for it. You told me that the gravity for Or'kat (Gliese 581 d) was too high. What do you recommend me lowering it to? BTW, what do you think of the names I gave the real planets. I formulated them by looking at the aliens I designed to inhabit them and see how they would pronounce their home world. |
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