Mossoon

Mossoon
Astrography
Star	Jar system
Type	Greenhouse planet, Desert planet
Satellites	None
Gravity	0.7 G
Orbital distance	0.6 AU
Day length	70.2 hours
Year length	189.8 days
Diameter	8,845 km
Axial tilt	1.6°F
Temperature
Average	150°F
Minimum	-200°F
Maximum	300°F
Atmosphere
Composition	73% nitrogen, 22% oxygen, 2% water vapor, 2% argon, 1% other gases
Surface pressure	38 atm
Demographics
Population	380 (orbital space station)

Mossoon is a planet in the binary star system Jar. It orbits at a distance of 0.6 AU from Jar I. Mossoon's orbit is unusually elliptical resulting in temperature fluctuations.

Atmosphere and Geography

Surprisingly, the planet is capable of sustaining an unusual type of life. The planet has high a concentration of greenhouse gases; a thick protective layer of clouds both traps and keeps heat out. The planet's slightly elliptical orbit gives it highly varying seasons of cold and heat, the temperature fluctuations resulting in intense electrical storms.

The planet has no liquid water on the surface, but it does exist in the form of vapor. Many geysers erupt with steam which releases the vapor into the atmosphere. Once every three years, it will rain, returning the water to the ground.

The geography tends to be very mountainous. Ridges and deserts dot the landscape. Some mountains extend beyond the protective layer - these are called "Hot Iron" mountains. When Mossoon is farthest from the sun, these mountains will cool to at least -200 F. When Mossoon is the closest, these mountains will reach 300 F.

Biosphere

Primarily lichens exist on the surface which are adept to the temperature fluctuations. When Mossoon is closest to its stars, these lichens will spread to cover many miles, but will disappear during cold seasons.

There is a notable lack of sunlight due to heavy cloud cover. Plant-life has evolved to be electrosynthetic where in place of absorbing sunlight, they absorb lightning and static electricity in the air.

Surprisingly, animals can survive on the surface, though Mossoon suffers from a scarcity of food. Using tendrils that grow on their rough skins, the fauna can collect air moisture. Some animals share the lightning rods of plants to gain additional energy.

List of organic life

Below is a list of some of the many varied life forms on Mossoon.

Flora

• Paste lichen - A green, sticky lichen that captures fauna for food. Luring it in with a sweet scent, the prey will become stuck to the lichen where it is then digested alive.
• Thundertree - A large moss-like clump that extends vertically in the shape of a spike. Its shape is ideal for capturing bolts of lightning for energy. Its roots extend to the moist groundwater level.
• Metalbark - A large tree which evolved a metallic carapace and is highly durable. Because of this, these plants remain the oldest forms of life on Mossoon. The Metalbark is more evolved than the Thundertree in that it has multiple branches which act as lightning rods.

Fauna

• Gliderbird - A large flying animal with sacs of methane on its "wings" that propel it through the air like a jet plane. Much like the plant-life, this species has lightning rods on its body to protect itself from the dangerous upper atmosphere. The bird itself feeds by swooping down and gripping its prey with its four talons.
• Shovelmouth - A dog-sized herbivorous creature that feeds on lichen. The name of the creature comes from its large mouth which scoops lichen-covered soil. A filter at the back of the throat ejects any unwanted or inedible material through a hole on the back of its neck.
• Lightning ant - A small hive-minded insect that lives in colonies. These creatures have ten legs and large antennae which capture static electricity. These ants, as small as they are, can feed on larger animals such as the Shovelmouth by discharging its electrical energy onto the victim.
• Phageglob - A primitive life form simply consisting of a blob of sticky, rubber-like organic matter. It rolls around, capturing loose organic material to fuel its life processes. It is big enough to absorb small insects such as the lightning ant. Because the Phageglob is made of non-conductive materials, it is immune to the lightning ants' electrical blasts.

Economy

Mossoon is inhospitable to Vaikan. However, the Hot Iron mountains are a rich source of platinum. Mechs are used to extract the minerals which are then taken back to Jaran for trading. Plant and animal specimens were also sold to other species for study.

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