Genre of the Week: Science Fiction
Have you ever wished upon a star? Could you imagine living on that star that is so many lightyears away? If you are a writer, especially one that eats, sleeps, and breathes science fiction, you have had this dream. Worlds away there could be homes that are completely different than our own. This What IF is what compels us as writers. We are the dreams that create the own version of our reality.
Today's Rundown
- Planets of our solar system
- Attributes for a Living Planet
- How to create your own planet (template)
Planets of our Solar System
Surely all of us have seen and heard of our solar system. Mercury. Venus. Earth. Mars. That really big astroid belt. Jupiter. Saturn. Uranus. Neptune. (Don't forget the ever forgotten Pluto).
Many of us have probably thought about what it would be like to live on one of these planets.
Mercury --> If you want your characters to live on the smallest planet, here are some things you should note. Your characters will be insanely close to the sun and their days will go quickly, for this is the fastest moving planet. Mercury completely moves around the sun every 88 days on Earth. Mercury is also egg shaped and which makes the sun rise and set briefly. Although Mercury is brighter it is not the hottest planet in the solar system. Mercury is a rocky planet. I suggest you heavily prepare your characters for a change of this terrain. They will have a shock to their system if they know anything different than life on Mercury.
*For more information on Mercury follow this link: https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/mercury/overview/
Venus--> Get your characters ready to live on thee hottest planet (900*F to be exact). The thick atmosphere creates a greenhouse effect making Venus's temperature to sky rocket. This planets spins slowly and in the opposite direction than most planets. So there is a lot of room here to imagine what this might be like for your characters. If you can get back the heat, carbon monoxide, and crushing air pressure your characters can enjoy many volcanoes and moons. To be honest you will have a lot of work to do in making Venus a livable planet for your characters and for your story to continue. But this is the power of science fiction. Science backed fiction is where the magic begins and ends.
*For more information on Venus follow this link: https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/venus/overview/
Mars (because we already know about Earth)--> If you want a desert, dusty, cold place for your characters to reside look no further. This planet includes and is not limited to seasons, polar ice caps, canyons, and volcanoes. Your characters can also enjoy two moons that orbit Mars throughout your story.
*For more information on Mars follow this link: https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/mars/overview/
Jupiter--> The largest planet in our solar system could be your story's next destination. Fun fact: 1 year on Jupiter is almost 12 years on Earth. Guess you'll have to decide how quickly your characters age and configure how they will live. But, like most science fiction, when there are words there is a way. Jupiter is a gas planet, but many speculate that it has a solid core the size of Earth. The atmosphere is made up of mostly hydrogen and helium. This planet is also famous for its massive storms that are in earthly proportions.
*For more information on Jupiter follow this link: https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/jupiter/overview/
Saturn--> Icy rings surround Saturn's atmosphere. 1 year on Saturn is almost 30 years on Earth. This may make aging hard for your characters, however by the time we get to Saturn, we may have immortality figured out. Long live the characters. Many also speculate this Saturn has a solid core, but this planet is completely made out of gas. Some believe that Saturn may not be able to inhabit life, but many of its moons can. (There are 62 of them).
*For more information on Saturn follow this link: https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/saturn/overview/
Uranus: There is a lot of icy terrain for your characters on this planet. Uranus is about 4 times wider than Earth. Although the area is icy the atmosphere is full of methane gas. Uranus also rotates on its side. You'll have to do a lot of heavy lifting to make this planet livable considering the harsh environment.
*For more information on Uranus follow this link: https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/uranus/overview/
Neptune--> Chilly does not begin to describe the climate of Neptune. This planet is known as the Ice Giant. Most of the terrain is hot/icy masses and rocky. The atmosphere is also gassy. Fun fact: 1 year on Neptune is 165 years on Earth.
*For more information on Neptune follow this link: https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/neptune/overview/
Pluto--> Smaller than our own moon this dwarf planet resides close to Neptune. Pluto is also a very cold planet where it may be hard to inhabit. Pluto is half the width of the United States. This type of planet may have pros and cons for your story. You can have a more intimate setting with Pluto but you won't have room to expand.
*For more information about Pluto follow this think: https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/dwarf-planets/pluto/overview/
Attributes of a Living Planet
What does it take to make your planet believable? Try putting science on your side. Figure out what the atmosphere is like on your planet. Whether you are creating your own planet or using one that already exists science is what's going to sell your idea. Don't forget the creativity. This is the key to science fiction. The sky is never the limit.
- Air. What do your characters breath. If they are humans will there be oxygen or another source. Did humans somehow start breathing something else 1,000+ years into the future? How have we adapted? If these are un-earthly beings you can create what they breath and how their life is harbored.
- Terrain. What kind of terrain does your planet have? Desert? Mountain range? Full of water? Gassy? Either way you'll have to figure out what kind of houses you can use and how your characters will live.
- Water. Do your characters need to live off of water? Humans naturally need water to survive, but who knows how we will be more than 1,000 years from now. Do we still depend on water? Or if you focus more on aliens they can drink something else. Either way you'll have to find out how your characters are going to live.
- Food. Is food plentiful or will they have to work to find food. What kind of food does your character need. Nourishment is key to survive, unless you are focusing on artificial intelligence or robots. Then that is who new can of worms.
- Temperature. What is the temperature of your planet? How will your characters need to dress to survive? If the planet is mainly cold will they need to figure out a way to make cold resistant clothing.
Creating your Own Planet: Template
Planet's Name:
Date Found:
Founder:
Major Cities:
Atmosphere:
Main Imports/Exports:
Building Type:
Population:
Temperature:
Years Equivalent to Earth Years:
Main Species:
Minority Species:
Planet Size (Compare to different planet):
Planet Color:
Source of Light:
Source of Power:
Terrain Type:
Contact with Other Planets (Yes or No):
Allies:
Enemies:
Improvements:
A formal template will be made to print shortly, but feel free to copy and paste this one. Thank you for reading. Until next time. Happy writing.
Sources for this post: NASA website and GoogleImages
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