Verdigris

Verdigris

Third planet of Delta Pavonis system (Delta Pavonis III). Planet has a distinctive greenish hue from space, for which it is named. This is due to extensive jungle coverage, high ocean plankton level, and aerophytoplankton also known as skyweed, an airborne algae.

Preliminary data

• Orbital radius (avg): 1.105 AU (102,765,000 miles, 165,306,000 km)
  • Period 9,849 hours - approx 410 Earth days
  • Rotation (day length) - 24 hours, 46 minutes
• Average surface temp (ignoring albedo and greenhouse effect) 13.03 C
• Gravity slightly less than Earth (0.99)
• Density slightly higher than Earth (because more heavy elements - older prestellar nebula)
  • Therefore slightly smaller radius
  • Density 5.6 (vs 5.5 for Earth)
• Surface air pressure ~ 1.2 bar? Air thicker than Earth's
  • Atmosphere composition: ~ 25% O2, 73% N2, 1.5% Ar, 0.5% H2O, CO2, etc
    • ppO2 about 1.4 * Earth at surface
• Moon (Gex) is slightly smaller than Luna (also denser?)

Notes

• Verdigris City -- capital, to the extent it has one. biopharmaceutical industry and artifact black market
• Extinct native culture -- neolithic tombs remain (see Stone Age), although a related sub-species still survives at paleolithic level
• New Toronto -- another major city (see Reticuli Deception)
• Louisbourg -- a third large city, the first settlement, but not as big as Verdigris City or New Toronto (in Pavonis Insurgence)
• Spacefarer pyramid, partially buried in old desert dunes and overgrown by jungle, stripped (probably by Velkaryans)
• Skyweed -- is flammable, especially when dried to a powder