Planet:Oronus

Overview
Oronus is a planet in the Oronusiil star system. It is the third planet from Oronusiil at a distance of 128,277,432 km, sitting between the gas giant Aquinisiil and the wild planet Duorshalti, and is the second largest terrestrial planet in the system, behind Gyerfiil. It has one natural satellite, Hyranticon, (although a second is contested.) Oronus is the home planet of the Oronusian Elatti, an aggressive spacefaring race of homosaurs. The name literally means original in the Oronusian language.

Appearance


Oronus is a sandy planet with scattered mountainous regions and a large ocean that encircles the planet, dividing the three main continents. The majority of the planet is formed from sedimentary rock, and the ground surface is mainly hematite that has been eroded over the aeons. Volcanic activity on the planet is high, and there are several active volcanoes, the most prominent of which is located at the planet's southern pole, and stands 6,876ft (2,096 m) tall.

A series of planetary rings orbit Oronus, composed mainly of rocky debris and ice. Little is known about their formation, although it is hypothesised that their prescence is the result of a violent collision between Oronus and a small protoplanet, sometimes referred to as Aegasiil. The collision is thought to have ejected masses of rock into space, which gradually began to orbit the planet, with a large majority accreting to form Hyranticon. Aegasiil may have formed around the same time as the rest of the planets, orbiting Oronusiil for many millions of years before losing stability and drifting into the orbit of Oronus. There is much speculation surrounding this theory, but it is generallly regarded to be the most likely explanation.

Oronus is monitored constantly by several satellites for the slightest orbital eccentricities, geological changes and meteorlogical events.

Climate
Oronus has a dense atmosphere, consisting mainly of carbon dioxide, oxygen and nitrogen, temperatures can range from a minimum of -20°C to a maximum of 80°C. Cloud cover is sparse, and sporadic wet seasons occur once every few years.

Habitability
Although a seemingly volatile environment for harbouring life, many plants have adapted to the conditions on Oronus, native plants include the Hijinnish, Aschdeldimpf and Erupti. Animal life on the planet has changed dramatically since the Oronusian race began bioengineering creatures, although the planet was once teeming with different species they were all but extincted by the power hungry Oronusians, replaced with a selection of artificially created creatures including the Oronusian Samuthas, Oronusian Trikidal, Oronusian Gyriffi and Oronusian Megascirator.

The Oronusian terraforming project
In an effort to mimic their homeworld's image on other worlds the Oronusians began to terraform their many colonies, turning the terrain orange, the skies pink and the seas cyan. All Oronusian controlled planets are sculpted in this way. This not only relaxes the populace and relieves homesickness, but also serves as a good indicator to rival empires when they have strayed into Oronusian territory.

Timeline

 * c. 4.9 bya - Oronus begins to form from accreted matter orbiting Oronusiil.
 * c. 4.7 bya - Oronus - still molten - takes shape and begins to form a solid core.
 * c. 4.5 bya - Aegasiil is thought to have collided with the newly formed Oronus.
 * c. 4.4 bya - Hyranticon is most likely formed by this time.
 * c. 4.1 bya - Oronus begins cooling and its orbit becomes more stable.
 * c. 3.7 bya - Oronus' crust begins to harden and continents form.
 * c. 3.5 bya - Volcanic activity produces a weak atmosphere.
 * c. 3.4 bya - The oceans begin forming.
 * c. 3.3 bya - Tectonic uplift and denudation begin to rearrange the landmasses into their current appearance.
 * c. 3.2 bya - Chemical reactions form simple molecular strands.
 * c. 2.7 bya - First single celled organisms appear.
 * c. 2.6 bya - Beginning of the first ice age.
 * c. 2.4 bya - Photosynthetic cells appear and begin producing oxygen.
 * c. 2.3 bya - Advanced, multi-cellular life forms evolve.
 * c. 2.1 bya - The Oronusi elattinidae cell evolves.
 * c. 1.5 bya - First land-dwelling creatures evolve.
 * c. 1.3 bya - A major extinction occurs after a huge meteorite impacts on the planet.
 * c. 740 mya - The continents complete the shift into their current position.
 * c. 570 mya - The Oronusi elattinidae become a land-based creature.

Further reading/sources/inspiration

 * Theia (hypothetical planet)
 * History of the Earth
 * Tectonic uplift
 * Denudation
 * Precambrian eon