Verathós
Verathós /ˈvɛ.ɾa.θɔs/ is an A-type main sequence star located 5.8 light-years away from Trowo. It is not only the brightest star in its constellation of Warswyraho, but also the 2nd brightest star in the night sky when viewed from Trowo. It has a visual magnitude of -1.88, and will continue to get brighter as the star is moving towards towards Trowo. It will eventually overtake Warfýres as the brightest star in approximately 6000 years. Verathós is relatively young, being only 800 million years old, and is expected to continue as a main sequence star for another 4 billion years before turning into a red giant.
Verathós is also home to 6 planets - 3 gas giants and 3 terrestrial planets.
Name and Etymology
The name Verathós likely originated from the Old Unitican word Virinthril meaning piercing due to its intense brightness. It is also very likely that the 3rd day of the week Vylynsazrolx is also named after this star. It was worshipped in ancient times as a bringer of good harvest as well as a symbol of purity due to its white colour.
Planetary System
Verathós is orbited by 6 planets: Diansen, Filrý, Zensen, Thilkon, Sevin and Levin.
Diansen is the first planet from Verathós and is a metal rich body. It has a disproportionately large core and a relatively thin mantle and crust. It is tidally locked to Verathós. Due to its rich content of metals, many mining bases have been set up on the surface where permanent twilight hangs over Diansen. The space stations Yaru and Dian orbit this planet.
Filrý is the second planet from Verathós and is a semi-terraformed world. It is about 1.2 times the size of Earth, being almost 2 times as massive. A solar shield is also located at the L1 lagrange point here to reduce solar incidence on the planet. It is unabled to be fully terraformed with currently technology due to its closeness to the parent star. Average temperatures here are still a sweltering 21°C, reaching up to 81°C near the equator during summer. Roughly half the mass of Trowo, it is orbited by 2 small natural satellites Igard and Sefilis. Due to its conducive orbital distance, it was the third exoplanet to be terraformed, a process which took 65 years to complete. Filrý is currently self-governing, but its laws can be veto-ed and superseded by the United Trowo government, though this has not happened before. It has a population of 850 million mainly located around the north pole. The south pole is yet undeveloped. The planet is orbited by the space stations Ý'en, Hyaxihyadexous, Fýfilen, Hlasen, Basg and Iyest-Te-Hédia.
Zensen is the third planet from Verathós and is a ringed terrestrial planet. It is 2.4 times as large as Earth and is one of the largest known exoplanets, with 18.1 times the mass of Earth. Despite being relatively low in precious resources, it was settled due to scientists interested in doing human experiments in high gravity and unique geological features. A population of 5 million is stationed on the city Sento Zensen, with some minor outposts near canyons and so called "pancake mountains". Some light asteroid mining is also conducted in its rings. It is currently under the control of The New Filrý government. It is known for being a world devoted to the advancement of science. The space stations Xehtdé, Gamgaring and Disret orbit this planet.
Thilkon is the fourth planet from Verathós and is a class II gas giant with water based life. Microscopic bacteria-like living organisms have been found in the cloudtops of this gas giant, making it extremely interesting to research. It is orbited by 27 moons, the closest of which hosts a scientific research base. No space station orbits Thilkon due to radiation levels around the planet.
Sevin and Levin are binary gas giants located over 2 billion kilometres from Verathós. Due to their great distance and lack of resources, they have not been particulary well explored.
Travel to the Verathós outer system by warp ships typically takes 1-2 weeks from Trowo's outer system, followed by a 2 month sublight journey to Filrý.