CRETAK
Introduction
CRETAK is the second planet from AZAN and the only planet in the AZANI SYSTEM that harbours life—both indigenous and human.
Etymology
TBC
Natural History
TBC
Physical Characteristics
Fig 1: Map of CRETAK
Continents: PICARD (southern continent), EZRI (northwestern continent), DEGRA (central continent) & JANNAR (northeastern continent).
Circles of Latitudes (red): Tropic Circles (21º north and south), Polar Circles (69º north and south).
Credit: Artifexian, WorldbuildingPasta
CRETAK is an iron-silicate Super-Earth; its mass, radius, density, and surface gravity values are higher than the average garden world. The internal structure of the planet consists of a liquid iron core surrounded by a molten silicate mantle and a solid outermost silicate crust.
Fig 2: Tectonic map of CRETAK
Red Line: Divergent plate boundary
Green Line: Transform plate boundary
Blue lines: Convergent plate boundary (triangles are on the overriding plate)
Red Triangles: Volcanos
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1.862 M_Earth
1.112 x 10²⁵ kg -
Total: 708,840,823 km²
Land: 212,508,383 km² (29.98%)
PICARD: 88,410,997 km² (12.47%)
EZRI: 61,557,164 km² (8.68%)
JANNAR: 44,913,690 km² (6.34%)
DEGRA: 14,860,657 km² (2.10%)Ocean: 496,332,439 km² (70.02%)
-
1.136 ρ_Earth
6.262 g/cm³ -
1.179 R_Earth
7510.51 km -
~5.127 km (excl. atmospheric effects)
-
1.340 g
13.144 m/s² -
1.257 VEarth
14.06 km/s -
21° (Prograde Rotation)
-
22hr 48 mins
-
0.29 (Bond)
0.359 (Geometric) -
287 K
14°C
Table 1: Physical Characteristics
The crust is divided up into ten tectonic plates, with the surface consisting of landmasses and liquid water oceans. The land accounts for about 30% of the total surface area and is broken up into four main continents. In order of decreasing area, they are: PICARD, EZRI, JANNAR, DEGRA. Notable surface features include the endorheic basin in EZRI and the ice dome of PICARD.
Fig 3: Auroral Map of CRETAK
Green: Auroral oval (high probability of auroras)
Yellow: Sub-auroral zone (low probability of aurora)
Orange: Stellar storm zone (auroras very rare)
The flow of the liquid iron core generates the planet’s magnetic field. Averaged out, the location of the geomagnetic poles lie on the axis of rotation; however, presently they occur at 82.80º N, 40.19º W (north pole) and 82.80º S, 129.81º E (south pole). This means that under exceptional circumstances, auroras may be visible on EZRI and PICARD as far equatorward as the 43rd parallel. Interestingly, the geomagnetic south pole lies just downhill of the PICARD ice dome summit.
Orbital Characteristics
-
1.54 AU
230.384 million km -
1.529 AU
228.675 million km -
1.551 AU
232.093 million km -
0.00742
-
1 Local Year
(1.730 Earth Years)665.04 Local Days
(631.790 Earth days) -
0° (ecliptic)
11.198° (to AZAN's equator) -
Prograde
-
1 (DAX)
Table 2: Orbital Characteristics
CRETAK orbits its star at an average distance of 1.54 AU. Though this distance varies throughout the year, the planet remains at all times within the system’s habitable zone—a region of space stretching from 1.42 to 2.05 AU, where temperatures are such that liquid water can exist on its surface. As a result, a year on CRETAK is almost 665 local days long, with each season lasting roughly 166 local days.
A day on the CRETAK is about 22.8 Earth hours long, with the star rising in the east and setting in the west. The planet overall is subject to moderate seasonal variation in heating due to the planet’s rotational axis being tilted with respect to the plane of the ecliptic. In the tropics (21° south to 21° north), the sun is directly overhead for at least one day per year, whereas in the polar regions (69° to 90° north and south), the sun never rises or sets for at least one day per year.
Hydrosphere
Fig 4a: Ocean Circulation during Northern Hemisphere (top) Summer
Credit: Vanga-Vangog
Fig 4b: Ocean Circulation during Northern Hemisphere (top) Winter
Credit: Vanga-Vangog
The ocean circulation on CRETAK is broadly typical for planets of its class; however, the sea separating Northern EZRI and Northern JANNAR is notable. Each winter it is all but cut off for the global circulation system by the encroaching sea ice. Additionally, the basin’s unique configuration gives rise to an abnormally large longitudinal gyre that transports both warm and cold waters far further south than is typical. This, in part, explains the unique climates experienced on the coasts bordering this sea.
Fig 5a: Precipitation in Northern Hemisphere (top) Summer. The bluer the region the wetter it is.
Credit: Vanga-Vangog
Fig 5b: Precipitation in Northern Hemisphere (top) Winter. The bluer the region the wetter it is.
Credit: Vanga-Vangog
CRETAK is comparatively dry. Precipitation struggles to penetrate the interiors of its vast continents, and several north-south mountain ranges create huge rain shadows. EZRI is the driest of the continents, as evidenced by its roughly 3000 km long central desert.
Fig 6: River map of CRETAK
Yellow lines: Drainage basin divides
Blue Lines (solid): Permanent rivers
Blue Lines (dotted): Intermittent rivers
A notable feature of the central EZRI desert is the 8,300 km long river, the longest on the planet, that bisects the desert and enters the ocean to the southwest. It flows persistently due to being fed with water from wetter regions: the central EZRI plateau and the east EZRI mountain range.
EZRI is also home to the SEA OF EZRI, the largest inland body of water on CRETAK. The SEA covers a surface area of about 750,000 km², an area 11 times larger than the next biggest lake on the planet. It is an unstable endorheic sea that periodically floods every 10-20,000 years. Past floods were responsible for carving out the canyon systems to the west of the SEA.
Geology
TBC
Atmosphere & Climate
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1.48 atm
149.94 kPa -
1.818 kg/m³
-
79.09% Nitrogen (N2)
19.79% Oxygen (O2)
1% Argon (Ar)
0.12% Carbon Dioxid (CO2)
Trace gases -
Three per Hemisphere
Cell 1: 0 - 30º N/S
Cell 2: 30 - 60º N/S
Cell 3: 60 - 90º N/S
Table 3: Atmospheric Characteristics
CRETAK has a standard nitrogen-Oxygen atmosphere with 19% oxygen. Its current carbon dioxide content is rather high as a result of the increased volcanic activity associated with the central JANNAR rifting zone.
Fig 7a: Temperatures (ºC) during Northern Hemisphere (top) Summer.
Vertical stripes = sea ice
Fig 7b: Temperatures (ºC) during Northern Hemisphere (top) Winter.
Vertical stripes = sea ice
The high levels of CO2 have helped raise the planet’s average temperature to a comfortable 14 ºC. Though the summit of the PICARD ice dome sees winter temperatures of -66 ºC or colder and the central EZRI desert gets up to 36 ºC on average in summer.
Fig 8a: Atmospheric circulation and pressure during northern hemisphere (top) summer.
Units = hPa
Credit: Vanga-Vangog
Fig 8b: Atmospheric circulation and pressure during northern hemisphere (top) winter.
Units = hPa
Credit: Vanga-Vangog
Fig 9: Sky colour at noon (left) and at sunset (right)
Credit: panoptesv.com
CREATK’s atmosphere is divided into three circulation cells per hemisphere: a Hadley cell extends from the equator to 30° north and south, a Ferrel cell extends from 30° to 60° north and south, and a final polar cell extends from 60° north and south to the poles of the planet. At noon, when the star is at its zenith, the sky is a pale blue colour. Approaching sunrise and sunset, the sky turns a deep, dark blue colour, fading to warmer orange and red hues near the horizon.
Fig 10: Köppen climate map of CRETAK
CRETAK features the full gamut of standard garden world climate zones, from rainforest at the equator to desert belts ringing the lower mid latitudes to frigid ice caps near the poles. The climatic divisions in the above map are based on predominantly on temperature and precipitation. The three letter categories encode the following:
A = Tropical
f = rainforest
m = monsoon
w/s = savanna
B = Arid
W = arid desert
S = semi-arid steppe
C = Temperate
s = dry summer
w = dry winter
f = no dry season
a = hot summer
b = warm summer
c = cold summer
D = Continental
s = dry summer
w = dry winter
f = no dry season
a = hot summer
b = warm summer
c = cold summer
d = very cold winter
E = Polar
T = tundra
F = ice cap
Fig 11: Fog on CRETAK
Only coastal (or inland sea) fog is shown. It can be assumed that notably foggy areas exist in CRETAK’s mountainous regions
Fig 12a: Northern Hemisphere Summer Thunderstorm, Tornado and Hurricane Map of CRETAK
Fig 12b: Northern Hemisphere Winter Thunderstorm, Tornado and Hurricane Map of CRETAK
Fig 13a: Northern Hemisphere Summer Particle Storm and Snow Map of CRETAK
Credit: ShayminLover for the snow maps
Fig 13b: Northern Hemisphere Winter Particle Storm and Snow Map of CRETAK
Credit: ShayminLover for the snow map
CRETAK-DAX System
Fig 14: DAX in its waxing gibbous phase
Credit: Vanga-Vangog
CRETAK is orbited by a single natural satellite called DAX. The moon creates tides on CRETAK and, due to its angular size, both total and annular eclipses can be seen on the surface of the planet.
Life on CRETAK
The majority of plants on the surface of CRETAK have evolved to photosynthesise the peak wavelengths of light emitted by the star. As such, most plants on CRETAK are a blue/teal colour, though other plant colours are also present.