When I think about building a brand new world I like to go large scale. Before I start populating this little orb of mine I want to know what the neighborhood looks like. There is a great history of this in the medium, whether it be Jack Vance's old cooling sun, three moons appearing in Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman's long running series, or the occluded heavens in Steven Brust's work. These kinds of changes can create significant atmospheric and practical effects that impact an author's entire body of work.
Please note that while an author can simply say "I want it to be just like Earth," that's not what this post is about, so let's see what we can do if we play.
First we want to look at what a planet's relationship is to its star. How do we interact? The most pertinent interaction to me boils down to weather effects. How hot do you want it? The tilt of the Earth in relation to its orbit of the Sun is what generates seasons on our planet. If you increase the tilt, this should create more dramatic differences in seasonal variation (summers get hotter, winters get colder). Decreasing the tilt should therefore decrease seasonal variation and give a fairly regular temperature gradient from equator to poles year round.
Another interesting way to play with the dynamic between these two bodies would be to alter the shape of the of your planet's orbit around its star. The Earth's orbit is roughly circular, providing little impact on the seasons. What then happens if you make a strongly elliptical orbit? Depending on how you point your planet this could lead to a large variety of impacts. For example: if the north pole is tilted directly towards the star while it is at it's closest point in orbit, it makes the peak of Summer hotter. Its orbit then takes it furthest away from the star when the northern hemisphere is in autumn, making it cooler. Coming back to the closest point while the northern hemisphere is in winter (pointed directly away from the star) would make it warmer. Spring, away from the star again would be cooler relative to Earth normal. Using this idea, I can imagine a year with eight seasons, including a greater and lesser summer (when the planet is nearest the star).
One more thought on stars relates to binary stars: okay, using a system like this is certainly possible, but the mechanics related to the previous section make my mind boggle. The one additional question I'd seriously think about is the effect of additional hours of light throughout the day and year. Would the increased growing hours accelerate plant growth? I'd probably also dig up information on those who live close to the poles to see how they deal with it, bearing in mind that people near the poles deal with extra long dark seasons as well, while your population may not.
The other celestial body that has a significant direct impact on the Earth is the Moon. It's most significant interaction with the Earth comes in the form of tides (though the Sun does have some small influence). I'm sure the math involved in the gravitational effects of multiple satellites is fascinating, but as tides are not something most of us are interested in getting too involved in as a storytelling device, I ended my research in that direction.
One important aspect of human interaction with the Moon's effects is as a simple light source. The difference in visible light is dramatic when the moon has risen. Additional light sources (of whatever hues) could provide additional brightness or simply alter the quality of the light. This would potentially have interesting impacts on hunter and hunted.
The Moon has many cultural associations that could be fun to play with. First, the lunar calendar gave early civilizations a reliable way to keep track of time. What do you do if you don't have a moon? Are the moons surrounding your world constant? Celestial bodies have also been seen as representations (or even the physical form) of the Gods. A story could connect with something simple, like the old "when the Sun sets, where does it go?" A good eclipse or a Grand Conjunction is an old reliable story device, but usually only if they're not too common. Hmmm then they'd have to have different orbits. Ouch, my brain is hurting again.
The Moon has been linked to all kinds of unpleasant things. Lycanthropy is a popular Fantasy illness (at least I hope it's a fantasy) related to the Moon. So what happens if you have two moons? More powerful reaction? Different types of were-creatures associated to each with massive battles taking place between them when both are in the sky? Of course, the Moon has also been associated with madness (lunacy), which can serve as another simple jumping off point for all kinds of stories whether there is a true tie or not in your world.
Creating a Fantasy world does not require a degree in Astrophysics. I will certainly be fudging details, but learning how things work is part of the enjoyment I get from being a writer. Don't get me wrong; I love Terry Pratchett's elephants. I enjoy the philosophical musings of Fritz Lieber's characters on the nature of their universe. In my experience, the more I learn about the real world, the more creative ideas spring to mind. As a final note: I know that if ever I have a reader ask me how something in my world works, I'd prefer to smile smugly and not tell rather than fumble for an answer and say, "Because..... MAGIC."
oh, just spotted this as an addendum.
http://io9.com/astronomers-have-discovered-a-tilted-solar-system-1447978841
No comments:
Post a Comment