Enceladus
| |
| Enceladus, Saturn II | |
| INFORMATION | |
| Quadrant: |
Alpha |
| Star System: |
Sol |
| Affiliations: |
United Federation of Planets, Outer Worlds Commonwealth, Bright Thinktank |
| Natives: |
Enceladese, Brights (Human) |
| ASTROMETRIC DATA | |
| Star Type(s): |
G:V (yellow main-sequence star) |
| Estimated Age: |
4.6 Billion Years |
| Number of Planets: |
9 |
| Orbital Period (Days): |
1,682 standard days |
| Classification: |
Class F (methanated ice with a silicate-carbon volatile core) |
| Number of Satellites: |
none; Enceladus is the second moon of Saturn |
| PLANETOLOGICAL DATA | |
| Atmosphere Type: |
none; trace ionized hydrocarbons and water |
| Atmosphere Pressure: |
none; base ocean pressures are similar to 50 times Earth's sea level. Earth Seal Level PSI is 14.6. Enceladus' ocean pressure begins at 735 PSI. |
| Mean Temperature: |
cold but with superheated pockets approaching boiling |
| Hydrosphere: |
ice with pockets of methanated water interior |
| Dominant Terrain: |
ice, methanated, often slushy water pockets, craters, hydrothermal vent striations, young ice plains |
| Gravity: |
0.11g (Earth=1) |
| Day/Night Cycle (Hours): |
artificial: follows a 24-hour standard Federation day |
| LIFE DATA | |
| Stage of Life Evolution: |
primordial multicellular life similar to abyssal plains worms, arctic corals and sea vent arthropods |
| Sentient Population: |
32,000; approximately 8,000 live in Eilat Hub with the rest in Eilat Anchorage. |
| Capital: |
Eilat Hub Station |
| END OF BRIEFING | |
| Template:Planet | |
At a Glance
Terrain
Settlements
Eilat Hub
The Eilat Drop
Eilat Anchorage
Native Life
Life arose on Enceladus, by most estimates, some two billion years ago. However, because of the small size of Enceladus and the seasonal changes of its interior oceans, that life has remained small-sized, homogeneous but surprisingly complex. Enceladus has no known vertebrates- evolutionarily there is zero need. Enceladus has barely a tenth of Earth's gravity and no landmass. Most multicellular life on Enceladus is worm-like, coral-like, or arthropod-like. The largest single species is a nine-armed analog of a seastar only slightly larger than a human hand, though "Ice Brain" coral can form colonies that are far larger. All life on Enceladus is anaerobic- it does not use oxygen. Most life uses ethane or methane.
Methane Fixing
Haptic and Olfactory Senses
Edibility
Enceladan life is simply not fit for Human consumption. Because of very different biochemistries, Enceladan life is not nutritious- and it has been noted to taste awful. Because of the methane-saturated environment, most Enceladan sea life exposed to oxygenation emit a foul natural gas-like smell and taste. Enceladan life is also very delicate, with either mushy or "melted plastic" like textures.
Examples of Enceladan Life
Xenocopepoda and Xenamphipoda
Cryogliochaetes
Ogliochaetes have an Enceladan analog similar to terrestrial earthworms. These are marine roundworms.
Xeno-Monochaetes
Monochaetes are segmented worms with single "chaeta" or "bristles" appendage on each segment. Polychaetes have multiple chaeta per segment.
Archaeocampa Enceladis
This form of xeno-monochaete worm, similar to glow worms found inside caverns, borrows into the ice and builds up a thick, viscous, bacteria-ridden goop that dangles into the Enceladan ocean. The bacteria use methane to fix heat and energy for the worm in return for more nutrient goo. Like many such creatures, it emits blue bioluminescent light in order to snare prey for itself. These bathyscaphic worms tend to grow in large "carpet colonies" on the underside of ice. They have the unfortunate nickname of, "Snotcicles," to Enceladan colonists.
Xeno-Polychaetes
Kasydopteris Spindis
Archaeoprimnoa Eilatis
A form of mound-building coral, sometimes called "Ice Brains." Like many creatures on Enceladus, Ice Brains are dependent on methane fixing for energy and heat and do so with anaerobic bacteria. Ice Brains are unusual in that they are not fixed- they freely float in Enceladus' ocean. They can grow as large as 10 meters across and do serve a similar function of safe harbor for polychaetes and larger arthropoda.
Ankyllonudibrancha
Also known as "articulated" or "armored" flatworms.
Nonasteridae Mobilis
An unusual analog to the terrestrial seastar, Nonasteridae Mobilis is a nine-armed echinoderm-like creature that can anchor to ice but also latch on to Ice Brains to feed. They can emit jelly-like tendrils and push water through valves, allowing them to move very quickly.