THERE
ARE TERMS WHICH tend to crop up in planetology that, while touched on in
the rest of the ArcBuilder setting, may not be fully explained in The
Omnicon. As such, I've decided to set up a separate glossary
here, within the PCL, for convenience's sake. As this new edition of
the PCL grows, terms will be added. But I also rely on those of you
who read this. If there is a particular terms which has been used,
but which has not been detailed here, please email me (via the link below)
and let me know. Many terms here are specific to the ArcBuilder
setting. But many more are not.
At this point I should be certain to mention that, while we try to keep the PCL scientifically sound, nearly everything that you see here is not only speculative, it does not attempt to maintain any consistency with today's scientific thought. That is, the classification of planets today is quite general; this is not. Asteroids are classified in a very complex manner; asteroids in the PCL are not. This is intended to be a supplement for the greater ArcBuilder setting, not a guide or reference for serious scientific work, or even low-level school papers. Remember that, and have fun!
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Carbide: Carbon materials with a high metallic content.
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Epistellar: Pertaining to close stellar orbits. While there is no precise measurement, most orbits or bodies are considered to be epistellar if they are closer than 0.1 AU to their parent sun.
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Hydrocarbon: A compound that consists only of carbon and hydrogen.
Hydrostatic Equilibrium: When compression due to gravity is balanced by pressure gradient which creates a pressure gradient force in the opposite direction. In planetology, bodies which achieve this tend to be spherical in shape.
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Kuiper Belt: An outer region of a solar system populated by dormant cometary bodies, which reaches out and eventually merges with the much larger Oort cloud. It is named after the Earth astronomer Gerard Kuiper, who postulated in 1951 CE that this region was the source of cometary bodies with orbital periods less than 200 years.
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Oort cloud: A roughly spherical cloud of dormant cometary bodies surrounding a star, and often reaching out several tens of thousands of AU from that star. It is named after the Earth Dutch astronomer, Jan Hendrick Oort, who revived the idea in 1950 CE.
Primary Atmosphere: An atmosphere of a world formed directly from the hydrogen present in the solar nebula. These atmospheres, rich in hydrogen and helium, are typically either lost or replaced by secondary atmospheres. Only high mass worlds retain these atmospheres, and are typically gas giants.
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Ragnarokian Cycle: In regards to Utgardian worlds, this is a cycle of freezing and thawing, driven by the rising and falling of geological activity and the subsequent outgassing of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. During these cycles, which can stretch over hundreds of millions of years and continue for billions, ammonia will alternately freeze and thaw. The cycle is named after the Norse myth of the end of the world.
Secondary Atmosphere: An atmosphere formed on a young world by volcanic outgassing. These atmospheres are typically rich with carbon dioxide, methane, and water.
Sisyphean Cycle: In regards to Lacustric Type worlds, this is a cycle when an Lacustric planet alternates between warm and wet periods, to cold and dry periods. Such cycles may have a period of tens to hundreds of millions of years, and they could continue for several billion years, depending on the lifespan of their sun. The Cycle is named after the Greek mythological figure of Sisyphus, who was consigned to the underworld and forced to roll a boulder up a hill for all of eternity.
Snowline: The point in a forming solar system where icy materials are predominant, and which allows for the rapid growth of Jovian planets due to their great abundance.
Tertiary Atmosphere: An atmosphere formed on worlds, typically by biological processes, which supplant and replace the geologically-driven secondary atmosphere. Some tertiary atmospheres, however, may still be formed by geological processes following the desiccation or disappearance of the secondary atmosphere.
Titanomalchian Cycle: In regards to Titanian worlds, this is a cycle in which a planet alternates between liquid methane, warmer conditions, and much dryer, completely frozen conditions. Such cycles can have periods of hundreds of millions of years, and may last for billions of years or more. Life, if present, typically remains simple and microscopic in nature because of the low temperatures involved. The hardiest forms will survive the frozen stage of the cycle. The cycle is named for the war between the Titans and the Olympian gods in Greek mythology.
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Title Page - Introduction - Reciprocal Links - Glossary - References and Acknowledgments
Small Body Group - Dwarf Terrestrial Group - Terrestrial Group - Helian Group - Jovian Group - Planemo Group
Return to the ArcBuilder Index Page - Return to Explorations - Email at maastrichian@bresnan.net