Dantacor

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Dantacor
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Galactic
Coordinates ???
Region Perseus Arm
Sector Celon Cluster
Core distance 231.2 Exametres
(24 440 light years)
Astronomical
Absolute name Sycarin II
Aphelion 636,389 Mm (4.254 AU)
Perihelion 635,193 Mm (4.246 AU)
Semi-major axis 635,790 Mm (4.250 AU)
Orbital speed ??? kms-1
Orbital period 2,315.640 days (6.340 Earth years)
1 286.467 local days
Rotation period 43:15 hours
Axial tilt 16°
Physical
Age 7.7 Gy
Type Terrestrial
Mean radius 6,377.8 km
Surface gravity 9.807 ms-2
Atmospheric
Surface pressure 103.262 kPa
Composition 76.31% nitrogen gas
22.16% oxygen gas
~ 1% water vapor
< 1% other gases
Median temperature -5.13ºC
-268.02K
Habitation
Population 93,139
Government Federal Syndicate of Terra
Colonised 2384
Capital Turing
Major settlements Eros, September, Solence

Dantacor, absolute name Sycarin II, is a terran-colonised world from the type-A star Sycarin. The planet was colonised due to its environment and its location on the frontier on the edge of colonised space, however due to the First Contact Incident, never became a major port hub.

Astronomy[edit | edit source]

Due to its distance from its star, its year is over 6 times that of a typical Earth year, and its two moons slow its rotational period to twice that of Earth. The planet also rotates in the reverse direction than that of Earth, and so its sun rises from the west and sets in the east.

Dantacor has two moons, simply known by their absolute names Dantacor-1 and -2.

Rings[edit | edit source]

Digital painting of a sunset on Dantacor over the ocean with rings and moons visible in the top-right corner
Dantacor sunset

Dantacor's most striking feature is its set of 6,228km wide rings, orbiting between 12,000 and 19,000km above its surface. The rings, composed mostly of water ice and dust, reflect light at the planet's surface, warming it up. The rings also reflects light during the planet's nights, keeping the sky unusually bright.

Civilisation[edit | edit source]

The Celon cluster was elected as a colonisation candidate in 2366 and approved in 2380. Dantacor was one of the first planets in its cluster to be colonised. Originally, the hope was that Celon would be an effective springboard into the Sagittarius Arm of the galaxy, attention was drawn when focus turned towards the First Contact Incident.

Due to subsidies and funding in its past, though, the planet is one of the wealthiest colonised planets known in the galaxy, outputting 4,483,483 GC per person. Dantacor makes most of its profits from its exports of advanced medical supplies, food and fusion reactor fuel. A good portion of its economy is also derived from tourism.

Genetic Modification[edit | edit source]

After its colonisation, medical researchers began to grow concerned over the possible lack of vitamin D from the planet's distance from the sun. In 2399 a synthetic gene was implanted into all Dantacor colonisers and eventually all wildlife, bleaching their skin white, minimalising melanin production in the skin and allowing more sunlight to penetrate, maximising vitamin D nutrition for its inhabitants.

Geography[edit | edit source]

Dantacor is a very moist and temperate world with small continents and islands, oceans covering most of the planet's surface. Over half of the planet's surface is covered in permanent ice caps at the poles, greatly affecting temperature variation.

Climate[edit | edit source]

Surface temperatures closer to the equator are unusually consistent due to the powerful moderation effect brought on by its oceans. Though the temperature averages at 4 degree Celsius (277 degrees Kelvin), it only ever reaches a peak high at 30 degrees Celsius (303 degrees Kelvin) at the equator during direct sunlight months.

Closer to the poles, though, without the moderation effect, temperatures can drop to as low as -100 degrees Celsius.

Physical Geography[edit | edit source]

The planet is dotted with islands and small continents. More land is available in the higher latitudes however it is covered in thick ice and the harsher climate makes habitation undesirable.

Tides on the planet can exceed 40 metres in variation, caused by the two moons pulling on the planet's oceans.

Plate tectonics are not as active as they might be on other planets due to its older age, though volcanic activity is still researched underwater.

Atmosphere[edit | edit source]

Dantacor's atmosphere was artificially altered to support carbon life on the planet, and thus has a higher oxygen content by percentage than Earth. Weather is not as extreme as on Earth.

Resources[edit | edit source]

The planet's primary export is deuterium-tritium fusion reactor fuel, supplied by the planet's enormous oceans.

Though paradisaical in climate, the planet has little rock and mineral resources to be mined, forcing manufacturers to import raw materials from elsewhere or develop apparatus using energy than matter.

Hazards[edit | edit source]

Because of its rings and moons, small rocks from the rings in orbit can be flung towards the planet as meteors. Most burn up due to their ice composition, some do not, and approach the planet at slower velocities, managing to impact the surface.

The planet's two moons cause severe tidal changes that can catch the unwary swimmer off guard, overtaken by sudden surges in sea level at the coasts.

The smaller amount of solar energy received from its star means that though blizzards and rainstorms do occur, not enough energy is present to produce powerful storms and other extreme weather phenomena.