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Activity for Xandar The Zenon‭

Type On... Excerpt Status Date
Question A planetary region with no night and no tidal locking?
Without tidal locking, would it be possible to have a planet with a region roughly the shape and size of the USA and Canada in which it is always "day"? (By day I mean at least as bright as a clear day immediately after the sun has set). I would like the planet to have roughly the gravity of Earth, a...
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over 5 years ago
Question Mining Suns For Terraforming?
In my story, I have a fairly advanced human race who is at the point they want to start terraforming planets. Of course, all of the materials necessary have to come from somewhere, and the proposed solution is simple. In solar systems devoid of life and livable planets, mine the sun for use in atmosp...
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over 7 years ago
Question From Mushrooms To Menshrooms
Alternate question title: From Fungi to a Fun Guy So, I asked a previous question about which non-animal would be the likeliest to evolve sentience. The answer turned out to be fungus, since mycelial networks closely resemble neurons. My question is dual pronged, because I think it would be difficu...
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over 7 years ago
Question Water On A World That Is Flat?
For my fantasy world, I have what I think is a really cool idea. The world is flat, and elliptical in shape. If you touch the silvery edge, well, let's just say bad things will happen. (Not relevant...) This edge is an impenetrable, indestructible wall. This world is like a coin, with two sides. Eac...
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over 7 years ago
Question Would a shallow ocean planet be possible?
For a story I am writing, I need a planet covered in a shallow ocean. What I mean is that I want the majority of the planet's surface (=> 60%) to be in the photic zone of the ocean. This planet must sustain life, with the most intelligent being some smalamanders. Ideally this planet can remain habit...
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over 7 years ago
Question Could We Restart Mars's Core With Antimatter?
Forget about how we get it there, some kind of top secret experiment on mars gone wrong in all the right ways. If somehow Mars's core was mixed with some amount of antimatter, and assuming 100% of it reacts, could the core of the red planet be restarted?
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almost 8 years ago
Question How Close Are These Two Planets?
I have two planets that are the exact same size and mass of Earth. They orbit each other, and have an orbital period of one day. How far apart are they? The planets both orbit a star the same as the Sun, and the center of mass for the two planets is on Earth's orbit. These planets can also be total...
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almost 8 years ago
Question What adaptations would an aquatic humanoid species need to develop sonar?
So, I have an aquatic humanoid species that I want to be able to use echolocation. They are extremely similar to humans,with some minor differences, like gills. (The reason I include this tidbit is because I understand that dolphins use their jaw to channel sounds to their ears.) A problem I've run ...
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almost 8 years ago
Question Is a moon made entirely of water possible?
I have two earth clones, in essence, separated by 16550 miles (26350 kilometers). They are, of course, tidally locked, and orbit each other once every 24 hours. These planets orbit a sun identical to ours in the same time as earth, except their orbit around the sun is perfectly circular. Now, I want ...
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about 8 years ago
Question What would be the major weather patterns on this map?
I drew a little map of a continent, but there is one area that I'm not sure about; the climate. As for the location of this map, remove North America and replace it with this map. The northernmost land graces the fiftieth parallel, and the southernmost the twenty-fifth. As for the longitudinal lines,...
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about 8 years ago
Question Could a species have multiple skin colors/pigments?
I know about humans, and how we have adapted to different eviornments with skin and hair color, but I want something a little bit different for my creatures. They are amphibious humanoids, and live on a planet with about 85% water, and with no land masses larger than Australia. Their planet is close ...
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about 8 years ago
Question Survivors of a far flung Earth
When the earth is flung out of the solar system as per Josh Pirhi's question, not everyone embarks on a spaceship. Instead, as earth becomes a rogue planet, a group of survivors created a self sustaining colony around a cluster of geothermal vents. My question is simple. Is it possible, with techn...
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about 8 years ago
Question Would it be possible to have a planet with no land masses larger than Australia?
Would it be possible to have a planet made up of about 60-70% water with no landmasses larger than Australia? I would like this planet to be as earth like as possible, but I'm open to changing aspects of it, such as rock composition, size of tectonic plates, etc.
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about 8 years ago
Question Making the Apocalypse Leech
I have decided on my preferred method of zombie apocalypse. I have chosen super leeches. But I have run into some problems, I'm not entirely sure if such a thing would be possible. I have a few ideas. These leeches should feed off of blood. Human blood should be preferred, although I would be okay...
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about 8 years ago
Question Growing Alien Eggs
I have an alien species that is my pet project. Now I'm to reproduction, which I have a specific idea for, I'm just not sure exactly how it works. My creatures are aquatic, and everything goes on underwater. The female lays eggs, which are probably about the size and shape of a golfball. The male fe...
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about 8 years ago
Question Benefits of or reasons why a species would have only one eye?
Traditionally, a Cyclops has one eye, as well as some other aliens in fiction. My question is simple: Would there be any situations, Earth-like or otherwise, where a creature would benefit from having only one eye? As far as I know, creatures with eyes on earth all have more than one. This questi...
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about 8 years ago
Question Can electric eels power my phone?
I'm going on vacation, and browsing through my texts on the latest iPhone. Uh oh, my private airplane, which for some stupid reason has no tracking devices, crashes onto some undiscovered island. Everyone but me dies. Somehow I manage to save my latest iPhone and charger. Ignoring that there probably...
(more)
about 8 years ago
Question At what distance from these planets should this moon be placed?
I have two earth clones, in essence, separated by 16550 miles (26350 kilometers). They are, of course, tidally locked, and orbit each other once every 24 hours. These planets orbit a sun identical to ours in the same time as earth. Now, I want to add a little bit more to the system. A moon with half ...
(more)
about 8 years ago
Question What would the effects be of two tidal locked planets have on each other's geography?
I've heard a lot of people say that having two tidally locked planets close together would have adverse affects on both planets. I have two tidally locked planets at a distance of 16,550 miles apart. Or, about 26635 kilometers apart. Both planets are about earth's size, with a similar composition, bu...
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about 8 years ago
Question In what kind of timeframe would there be interplanetary trade?
I have two binary planets, with technological level of about the present day. They've developed communication between the two planets, and scientists are trying to develop a method of getting people and materials there, and exchanging the materials for other things. With both planets communicating, i...
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about 8 years ago
Question How much chlorine gas can I safely put in my atmosphere?
I have a planet that I want to have a greenish atmosphere. I've heard in a few places that chlorine gas has the potential to make the atmosphere greenish, but also to kill humans. So, the question is, what percent of Earth's atmosphere (in nitrogen) can I replace with chlorine gas in my atmosphere wi...
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about 8 years ago
Question How would visible habited planets affect technology?
I have two binary pairs of planets in a planetary system. All of the planets are habitable, and similar in mass and composition to earth. Each pair is identical, or nearly so. The planets are tidally locked, and if you stand on the point closest to the other planet about 10% of the sky is obscured by...
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about 8 years ago
Question How could a habitable planet have a green atmosphere?
How could a planet which humans could land and survive on with no space suits or other help have a green atmosphere? The only requirement is that humans landing here would have to be able to breathe the atmosphere, and potentially live on the planet for their entire natural lives. Note - I would lik...
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about 8 years ago
Question Can this planetary system remain stable?
Before we begin, this system is created by aliens, and all orbits are on the same plane. These orbits are similar to earth's in shape. So, none of this has to occur naturally it just has to be stable for a period of about as long as our solar system will last. (And I know the sun won't live that long...
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about 8 years ago
Question How might a planet be made of mountains? (And ocean)
How would it be possible to have a planet with two defining surface features, ocean and mountains? Such a planet would have to be habitable for humans who arrive there, though it does not need to support humans evolving and developing over time. Everything above sea level has to be mountains, with va...
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about 8 years ago
Question What is the plausibility of a sentient starfish-like creature?
You all probably know what a starfish is. When a starfish is ripped in half, if each half has part of the central disk, then it can regrow into two starfish. Worms can do something similar, if they are cut in half, they regrow into two worms. I was wondering, what is the plausibility of an intelligen...
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about 8 years ago
Question How close can two Earths be without becoming tidal locked?
I have decided to change the numbers to make it easy on Hohmannfan. These two planets, for all intents and purposes, are identical to Earth, with he moon replaced by another Earth. So now the question is, how close can these two earth's be without being tidal locked? Since it seems necessary to say ...
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about 8 years ago
Question What distances would be involved in this planetary system?
So, I have five habitable planets in my planetary system. These five planets are all in the Goldilocks zone, orbiting their star. However, only two are relevant to this question. The star is exactly the size of our Sun, and is identical in every way. Also, both planets have surface gravities 0.8 time...
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about 8 years ago
Question What might validate a society that has mushrooms as a staple crop?
Now, bear with me because I know very little of mycology. I just know that mushrooms taste good, and that fungi is very complex with lots of different uses. For my fantasy story, I want a society that knows the ins and outs of mycology. They grow food from mushrooms, make their medicines, from the...
(more)
about 8 years ago
Question Could it be possible for two planets to collide and not kill everything?
Before we begin, two things. This question was inspired by this one. I definitely don't want this to happen. So, I have two very close tidally locked planets, each fills up about 2/3 of the sky of the other. They both have about .75g of gravity. There is also a moon orbiting the two planets at some ...
(more)
over 8 years ago
Question How would the sudden destruction of Mars affect Earth?
If Mars was vaporized by aliens, how would it affect us? Assume that the core of Mars exploded, sending the debris flying in all directions, and that some would pass close by, but not hit, Earth. How would it affect Earth's orbit? Would it cause another planet to diverge from its orbit which would th...
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over 8 years ago
Question What would the chemical make-up of a silicon based life-form be like?
I've recently become interested in the possibility of silicon based life. Assume these creatures developed on a planet with zero carbon (don't question, just accept it), so they have no carbon in their bodies. For this question, it would also be helpful to know what kinds of conditions would be condu...
(more)
over 8 years ago
Question Could plants develop sentience?
This question is almost exactly like Could plants develop intelligence, but now I wonder (how) could plant life develop sentience, to the point where it becomes as intelligent as humans? Is a brain necessary for sentience? These plants don't have to be completely photosynthetic, they can eat, but wo...
(more)
over 8 years ago
Question What weather patterns would occur on this map?
First, for scale, this map is about the size of the continental US. Assume that the mountains are about the size of the Rockies. These mountains are jagged on the outer edge, and more sloping on the inside. Everything North of the map is rocky wasteland, and there is an ocean to the south and west. T...
(more)
over 8 years ago
Question What would cause a planet to be continually dim, yet still have heat?
You have a planet about the size of Earth. It needs to be continually dark, with just the slightest bit of light. Or no light at all. It makes little difference to the aliens that live there. But, this is mostly a swamp planet. The most important thing is that most of the planet doesn't dip below 32 ...
(more)
over 8 years ago
Question What environment would support an electric alien species?
I was thinking, and I came up with an alien race, which enthralled me. I was just wondering if these creatures would plausibly evolve this way. (Info dump time These aliens are humanoid. While they possess two arms like humans, they have two or four tentacle-like appendages. These come out of the ...
(more)
over 8 years ago
Question What Is The Minimum Size Of A Planet To Harbor Human Life?
What is the minimum size of a planet that could harbor human life? You get to decide what the atmosphere is, but I'm reasonably sure that O2, CO2, and H2O are necessary components of the atmosphere. Assume the planet's surface is flat. I'm not sure what the soil and rocks the planet are made of, even...
(more)
over 8 years ago
Question Could Two Planets Form A Binary System?
For my current purposes, assume we have two planets identical to earth. So, could two of these planets form a stable binary system, and still be close enough to see the green foliage on the surface of the other planet? They would ideally not be tidal locked. If this is possible, how would it affect t...
(more)
over 8 years ago
Question Could two stars of equivalent mass/size form a binary system and be different colors?
I have an idea for a planet that orbits two stars. These starsslowly orbit each other, have equivalent masses/sizes, and while one is slightly red, the other is slightly blue. When I talk about the color, the stars are primarily white, with slight tints, just enough to notice. A year is about as long...
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over 8 years ago