Difference between revisions of "Shuanyun (world)"

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'''Shuanyun''' is a member of (and the namesake of) the [[Shuanyunu Cluster]], a small [[Main|cluster]] and minor [[trade route]] lying within the central part of [[Taurea Subsector]] of [[Aldebaran Sector]].
 
'''Shuanyun''' is a member of (and the namesake of) the [[Shuanyunu Cluster]], a small [[Main|cluster]] and minor [[trade route]] lying within the central part of [[Taurea Subsector]] of [[Aldebaran Sector]].
  
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Shuanyun and its star ''Gongniu'' have been known to astronomers for millennia and have long been an item of curiosity, but the system has always been on the fringes of human settlement and difficult to reach. While the first manned scientific expeditions visited the infant star on the [[600s|late 600s]], only in the past century has a permanent colony been established.
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Shuanyun and its star ''Gongniu'' have been known to astronomers for millennia and have long been an item of curiosity, but the system has always been on the fringes of human settlement and difficult to reach. While the first manned scientific expeditions visited the infant star in the [[600s|late 600s]], only in the past century has a permanent colony been established.
  
 
The environment in regions within [[Astronomical Unit|2 AU]] of Gongniu is so unusual that iron, nickel, and cobalt-bearing bodies bear little chemical resemblance to those in more normal [[planetoid belt]]s. Hot, bombarded with X-rays, and affected by strong magnetism at an atomic level for nearly a million years, the rocky bodies embedded in the gas of the accretion disk contain ores and alloys unlike anything found in more normal regions of space. The presence of these materials was discovered in [[1047]], during follow-up surveys of the system.
 
The environment in regions within [[Astronomical Unit|2 AU]] of Gongniu is so unusual that iron, nickel, and cobalt-bearing bodies bear little chemical resemblance to those in more normal [[planetoid belt]]s. Hot, bombarded with X-rays, and affected by strong magnetism at an atomic level for nearly a million years, the rocky bodies embedded in the gas of the accretion disk contain ores and alloys unlike anything found in more normal regions of space. The presence of these materials was discovered in [[1047]], during follow-up surveys of the system.

Revision as of 20:25, 7 July 2025

Alien Moon 195-0.jpg
Shuanyun/Taurea (Aldebaran 0334)
Classic Era (1116)
CAC3514–C
StarportC Routine: No Construction, Major Repair, Unrefined fuel
SizeA Large (16,000 km, 1.14g - 1.48g)
AtmosphereC Exotic (insidious)
Hydrographics3 Wet World 30%
Population5 Moderate (600 thousand)
Government1 Company/Corporation
Law4 Moderate Law (no light assault weapons)
Tech LevelC Average Stellar (robots)
See also UWP
System Details
Primary K8 V
Planetoid Belts 1
Gas Giants 5
style="width: 220px; height: 250px;"
Jump map from Travellermap.com [1]

Shuanyun is a nonindustrial fluid world.

  • A fluid world has an oceanic geography consisting of heavily contaminated water or a substance such as ammonia, methane, hydrocarbons, or other exotic liquid.
  • It requires extensive imports of outside technology to maintain a modern, star-faring society. Having to import most manufactured and high tech goods drives the price up for these items at this world.
  • It is a Non-Aligned world dominated by human sophonts located in the Taurea Subsector of Aldebaran Sector.

Description (Astrography & Planetology)

Stellar Data

Shuanyun has a solitary primary star.

  • The primary is an orange T Tauri star named Gongniu.
Shuanyun has a solitary primary star.
Gongniu
Solitary K Type.jpg Type Category Mass (Sol) Temperature (K) Luminosity
K8 V Main Sequence (Dwarf) 0.62 3930 - 3990 0.18766
Unit Diameter Safe Distance Habitable Zone Jump Shadow M-Drive Limit
AU 0.0057 0.0359 0.45 - 0.84 0.57 5.7
Orbit #  *  * 2 2 6
Remarks Constant flare activity.

Gongniu is an orange-red T Tauri star that is about 800,000 years old and is gradually evolving into a K type main sequence. It is a young stellar object that has not yet started fusing hydrogen in its core - instead, the energy it radiates is powered by material falling into its core as it finishes coalescing from interstellar gas.

  • The process of coalescing actually causes the young star to emit more energy than it will in its later, more stable hydrogen-fusing "adult" phase.

System Data

T Tauri Star.jpg

The worlds of the system have been surveyed. They consist of:

  • The mainworld, orbiting at an angle to the ecliptic plane in the far outer system.
  • x7 secondary rocky worlds. Six are substantial, heavily cratered rocky bodies orbiting within the systems enormous accretion disk and are gradually clearing their orbital paths of debris. The seventh, like the mainworld, orbits above the ecliptic plane in the far outer system.
  • x1 planetoid belt: the disk of gas, dust, and small rocky bodies around the star. It is a vast nebulous structure with a radius of more than 200 AU.
  • x5 gas giants, all lying within the gas- and volatile-rich far outer system and still in the process of formation.

System Structure

Gongniu is surrounded by a spherical cloud of cold, thin gas about 1,000 AU in diameter, within which is embedded a disk of denser material (the accretion disk) with a radius of around 200 AU. The disk lies on the ecliptic plane and becomes denser, warmer, and far more visible towards its center.

Within about 2 AU of Gongniu, magnetic effects on the motion of the gas within the accretion disk are measurable. The star gathers up gas that approaches within about 0.2 AU, channeling it via its immensely powerful magnetic fields. Eventually some of this material impacts Gongniu's surface, triggering huge but sporadic stellar flares, but most is swept up and blown away in two vast polar jets.

Magnetic Fields

High levels of X-rays are always a concern for humans, but within the Shuanyun system the immensely powerful magnetic fields generated by the star's rotation also present major problems.

At around 1 AU the strength of the magnetic field is 5,000 gauss, and it falls off exponentially from there: at 2 AU it is over 600 gauss, at 3 AU it is around 200 gauss, at 10 AU it is around 5 gauss, and so on. It remains as strong as the magnetic field of a typical terrestrial world as far out as 22 AU.

Anyone travelling into a region with a high gauss rating faces a variety of dangers. Objects that are affected by magnetism can become lethal hazards: as the field strength increases past 200 gauss, increasingly large objects can be physically moved, lifted, or made to "go ballistic" by magnetic fields, threatening anything nearby. In areas with magnetic field strengths in excess of 1,000 gauss, even objects that are securely locked down can suffer serious deformation and damage due to "magnetic tides" passing over them.

  • Although magnetic field strengths of more than 2,000 gauss can be withstood for days by the human body with no immediate ill effects, fields with strengths in excess of 500 gauss directly stimulate the optic centers of the human brain and produce imaginary lights (phosphenes).

Mainworld Data

Diagram Orbital Inclination Basic.png

Shuanyun orbits at just over 200 AU from Gongniu, in the outer system. It lies at about the same distance from the star as the outer edge of the accretion disk, but has an orbital inclination of 40 degrees relative to the accretion disk's plane of rotation.

  • This is away from the worst of the radiation and almost all of the magnetism.

Chart Orbit Outer Region.png

Mainworld Size (S)

Shuanyun is a Big World between 15,200km and 16,800km in diameter. The world has a standard gravity between 1.1G and 1.5G. The horizon will appear about 5.7km away. Vessels with only 1G of thrust should avoid landing on this world.

Mainworld Atmosphere (A)

Shuanyun has an Insidious Atmosphere which requires the use of a Hostile Environment Suit or Vacc Suit, but extreme conditions cause the corrosive effects to defeat any personal protective measures in a few hours. TL–10 or more advanced survival gear is required to settle this world.

Mainworld Hydrosphere (H)

Shuanyun has 25-35% of its surface covered by a fluid other than water. Wilderness refueling is not possible. Water for the inhabitants needs to be imported and extensively recycled. These worlds may be Hell Worlds.

  • This surface fluid may be ammonia, methane, hydrocarbons, or other exotic liquids depending on the local temperature and environment.

Blank World Map Exotic.png
(Blank map, exotic world.)

History & Background (Dossier)

Comp-Prog-Dav-R-Deitrick-Starter-Trav-Page-16 16-July-2018a.jpg

Shuanyun is a member of (and the namesake of) the Shuanyunu Cluster, a small cluster and minor trade route lying within the central part of Taurea Subsector of Aldebaran Sector.

Shuanyun and its star Gongniu have been known to astronomers for millennia and have long been an item of curiosity, but the system has always been on the fringes of human settlement and difficult to reach. While the first manned scientific expeditions visited the infant star in the late 600s, only in the past century has a permanent colony been established.

The environment in regions within 2 AU of Gongniu is so unusual that iron, nickel, and cobalt-bearing bodies bear little chemical resemblance to those in more normal planetoid belts. Hot, bombarded with X-rays, and affected by strong magnetism at an atomic level for nearly a million years, the rocky bodies embedded in the gas of the accretion disk contain ores and alloys unlike anything found in more normal regions of space. The presence of these materials was discovered in 1047, during follow-up surveys of the system.

  • Although "down in" (operating within the inner part of the system, close to the young star) presents extreme hazards, mining the exotic materials found there has made many fortunes.

The system's young, active star causes interference, strange tones and noises, and heavy static on commo and sensors, particularly during periods of intense flare activity.

World Starport (St)

Shuanyun has a Class C Starport, an average quality installation which features amenities including unrefined fuel for starships, some brokerage services for passengers and cargo, and a variety of ship provisions. There is a shipyard capable of doing maintenance and other kinds of repair. Ports of this classification generally have only a downport, unless this is a trade port or system with an hostile environment mainworld.

World Population (P)

Taurean Sophont Species Aldebaran Sidebar.jpg

Shuanyun has a population of 600,000 sophonts (hundreds of thousands).

  • This is a Nonindustrial World, too small to support the complete chain of production of most goods from start to finish.
  • Around 70% of the population (approximately 420,000 individuals) consists of Solomani humans.
  • About 30% of the population (roughly 180,000 individuals) is made up of Taureans.

Linguistic Topography

The most commonly heard languages are:

World Technology Level (T)

Shuanyun possesses a Technology Level of TL–12 or TL-C in Hexadecimal Notation.

World Government (G)

Logo Abaixo Basic.png

Shuanyun is governed by a Corporate Polity, having a single corporation with a typical corporate structure as a government. Essentially, this is a "company town" (or world). The typical corporate-run world usually has a single purpose. Examples include mining, agriculture, or other kinds of resource extraction. But rather than a simple base of operations, there are facilities for housing workers and their families, including hospitals, schools, and other infrastructure. How, or if, the children of the workers are incorporated into the workforce varies with companies. The corporation running the world may be a subsidiary of a larger interstellar corporation.

The world and the system is controlled by Abaixo LLC. Nothing happens without the tacit approval of the corporation.

  • The company Chairman and de facto ruler of the system is Laughton Ferrera.
  • A representation of Ferrera's face is used as the company's logo.

World Law (L)

Shuanyun has a moderate law level with laws covering many areas of government and interaction. These laws are simple enough that most people can act as their own advocate, though for serious issues a professional is recommended. Law enforcement officials will be present, but not in great numbers. Light assault weapons, and anything more destructive, are typically regulated or prohibited.

Trade Data

World Economy

World Culture

World Timeline

Major events that have affected this world and the wider region that it lies within:

References & Contributors (Sources)

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