Planetology

Discovered in AD 2421 and initially colonized in 2887, the planet Trocken (meaning 'dry' in German) is the 2nd planet of a remote star in the Milky Way galaxy. The planet is one of only a handful discovered that had a Earth-like native ecology. Scientists believe that due to the similarities of species between the worlds, these lifeforms either came to the same/similar evolutionary conclusions or in smaller circles that these worlds were somehow "seeded" with the same genetic material. Variations exist however due to climate and gravity.

Trocken is smaller than Earth and larger than Mars. It's gravity is about one half that of terran G. The atmospheric pressure is only slightly higher than that of Earth.

Trocken is closer to the sun than Earth and is therfor a much dryer world. More than half the planets surface is desert with the equatorial region being completely devoid of rainfall. Trocken has two small polar caps made up of mostly water-ice. The northern polar cap being the larger. These drain into rivers which then drain into four small seas named after Egyptian Gods and Goddesses. The largest is named the Sea of Ra, the two smaller seas in the northern hemisphere are names the Sea of Isis and the Sea of Nephthys. The only sea in the Southern hemisphere is aptly names the Sea of Osiris. These seas are very high in salt content. All three of the northern seas are interconnected by rivers making them superb for surface commerce and trade.

The far northern hemisphere is comprised of vast grasslands and sparse forests. Rivers of melted polar-cap ice feed these regions. Located on the eastern side is a large plateau whose walls rise up some 3km in places. The "Great Plateau" as it's called has it's southern slope on the equator into the central desert.

The equatorial region of the planet is nothing but desert and edoded mountain ranges. There is no open water to be found here and attempts to locate possible aquifers have so far failed. It is a formidible and hostile place yet still holds native lifeforms although limited.

The southern hemisphere is mostly desert with one sea and only a handful of rivers. Plant life is more sparse here and the climate is far dryer than the north. The southern polar cap is also smaller than that of the north.

Another contributing factor to the dry, hot climate is that a Trocken day is only 6 hours 23 minutes long. This means that the surface is exposed to sunlight and heat with little time at night to cool off. Trocken is slightly askew on its axis similar to Earth meaning that there is seasons. A Trocken Year is approximately 302 Earth days.

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