(01/06)
Distance from Proxima:
Emergence of Life:
Mass:
M⊕
Orbital Period:
Planetary Type:
RADIUS:
R⊕
Temperature:
Phaínōterra
Phosphine Earth
Dr. Sara Seager
Dr. Iaroslav Iakubivskyi
Phaínōterra is a planet of light and wonder. Like Earth's blazing cousin,
Venus, the planet is bathed in a yellowish-orange glow. Clouds clot its
surface, offering fleeting glimpses of the mysterious world beneath. The
planet's atmosphere sparkles with lightning storms. A dense haze often
blankets the surface, sometimes ascending to dynamic air currents above.
Towering mountains soar tens of kilometers into the sky.
Life here on Phaínōterra began in sulfuric acid pools supplied by fog,
haze, and clouds. Acid pools react with surrounding rock, forming ionic
iquid over the years. The meteoritic material that bombarded Phaínōterra
billions of years ago seeded the life that now nestles on the mountain peaks
above the planet's scorching surface. These life forms are microbial but
exhibit a remarkable collective intelligence akin to ant colonies on Earth.
The planet's name is derived from the Greek phōs (light) and phainein (to reveal)
and is linked to the phosphine Earth counterpart. On Phaínōterra life reveals
itself, illuminating strange biochemical possibilities just beyond our doorstep.
SCIENTIFIC FINDINGS
ESSAY
FICTION
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