World, Writing, Wealth discussion

"Researchers using ESO's Very Large Telescope (VLT) have observed an extreme planet where they suspect it rains iron. The ultra-hot giant exoplanet has a day side where temperatures climb above 2400 degrees Celsius, high enough to vaporise metals. Strong winds carry iron vapour to the cooler night side where it condenses into iron droplets."

REF: https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releas...

Now the thing is, there is an alien military base housing a powerful AI buried beneath the surface (on the night side). You have to infiltrate the base, defeat the alien soldiers and steal the AI.... you are equipped with powered armor, a drop ship, a platoon of roughnecks to assist, a plasma rifle and plenty of ammo...

With a global warming, maybe soon here :)

Graeme wrote: "Now the thing is, there is an alien military base housing a powerful AI buried beneath the surface (on the night side). You have to infiltrate the base, defeat the alien soldiers and steal the AI.... you are equipped with powered armor, a drop ship, a platoon of roughnecks to assist, a plasma rifle and plenty of ammo......"

Excellent task for times of social distancing!

What's the temperature on the night side? Are the alien soldiers a living species or are they AI-robots? (i.e. is the AI a residual technology from a previous civilization?) That would also determine whether there are "vents" to the surface, if not, you would have to have deep drilling equipment or blast your way down there. Either way, the going would not be very stealthy. Buckle up, soldier!

This planet is really weird. That close to the star you might expect it to be tidally locked, but if so, all the iron should go around to the cold side. Also, most of it should be solid, even on the hot side because of the huge gravity, although that does not stop some vaporising. On Jupiter, much of the neon appears to have rained out.

The planet is locked, it has a sun facing side, and a night side that stay that way.

Yes, it should, but does it really? How do you hold a ball of gas? How do you know it is locked because there is no obvious reference point?

I think because its day is as long as its year. Mind you, I have no idea how that is measured.

I was also mentally picturing a rocky surface underneath the clouds of 'raining iron,' - it's a gas giant...

Gas Giants get very weird. There are some calculations that predict Jupiter having an "ocean" layer of metallic liquid hydrogen.

The usual assumption is if it is that close it must be tidally locked, but I am not sure that applies to a ball if gas because temperature differences will create very speedy winds and if there is no solid, how can it be locked? There will be a solid core, but its motion will be determined by the atmospheric winds. If it is rotating, it will be retrograde because temperatures are hottest at about 1500 hrs, and this generates thermal tides in the atmosphere, although this planet will have so much atmosphere it is not clear that will apply either.