Aavikko

Aavikko is a temperate desert moon orbiting the gas giant Aiti, located in the Tahti star system, in the Scutum-Centaurus arm of the milky way. It is one of the three major moons orbiting the giant, out of 98 total moons. It is also the closest moon too the Aiti. It is the smallest of the three major moons orbiting Aiti, being smaller than Kodu and Vaeltaa. It is also the third largest moon in its star system. Despite being a desert, the moon does have somewhat habitable conditions, but no life currently inhabits the moon.

## Aavikko

Once a flourishing world with life, now no more than a global desert.

## Surface Conditions

### Atmosphere

* CO2 79.4%
* N2 17.3%
* SO2 3.17%

## Moon Information

Aavikko is the smallest of the three major moons orbiting Aiti, it is slightly larger than Mars in diameter. It has a radius of about 0.55 earth radii, and just over half the gravity of Earth. It completes an orbit around Aiti once every 18 hours, and one day lasts the same amount of time also being 18 hours long. It is also tidally locked to the planet, therefore having its rotational period the same as its orbital period. Aavikko's atmosphere is around 80% CO2 and 20% Nitrogen, with 3% being SO2, and small amounts of other chemicals and elements such as CO, C2H2, H2S, C2H4, C2H6, Argon, and Krypton. The atmosphere is toxic, being completely unbreathable to any life forms. However, in the past Aavikko was a flourishing world, much like Kodu. It had a breathable atmosphere, lakes, rivers, and oceans, along with tons of plant and animal species. However, due to the moon residing so close to Aiti, the radiation from Aiti's radiation belt stripped away a large portion of its atmosphere, causing all life to die. Along with sitting in the gas giant's radiation belt, it was also struck by many smaller moons orbiting the giant, as seen by the various large craters in the moon's surface. But not to say the moon cannot be habitable again one day, but for now, it is nothing other than a global desert, littered with craters and deadly levels of radiation. Aavikko is located around 50,000 light years from Earth.

## History

* ~8.5 billion years ago: Aavikko forms in orbit around Aiti, along with Kodu and Vaeltaa.
* ~8.3 billion years ago: the moon cools to around -80 °C, and its surface becomes frozen due to these temperatures.
* ~7.4 billion years ago: Aavikko is struck by one of Aiti's young moons, causing temperatures to rise once again and all the ice on the surface to become water vapor in its newly formed atmosphere.
* ~6.8 billion years ago: Aavikko cools to its temperate temperature, starting the era of global storms, which caused formed oceans on the moon's surface.
* ~6.2 billion years ago: first unicellular life emerges in the oceans of Aavikko, and the polar regions melt.
* ~5.1 billion years ago: first multicellular life and first terrestrial life emerge on Aavikko.
* ~4.5 billion years ago: first complex mammals and fish emerge on Aavikko, starting an explosion era, evolving millions of different species of plants and animals.
* ~3.2 billion years ago: Aavikko's biosphere is flourishing, and along with Kodu, it is a blue and green lush and habitable world.
* ~2.1 billion years ago: Aavikko tugs on the orbits of other small moons, causing them to become unstable and change their eccentricity.
* ~1 billion years ago: Aavikko is struck by at least seven smaller moons in a short amount of time, causing the moon to heat up and kill all life.
* ~700 million years ago: the moon's atmosphere becomes somewhat stripped by Aiti's strengthening radiation belt, and all water evaporates on the surface.
* ~200 million years ago: Aavikko is struck by another small asteroid, being the last of the unstable ones.
* ~40 million years ago: Aavikko is now a global desert, with a toxic atmosphere and increasing CO2 levels.
* Today: Aavikko is a global desert, with a very mountainous landscape, toxic atmosphere and little chance at ever being habitable again.

## Climate & Geography

Aavikko is a very mountainous world, with at least 25% of the moon's surface being covered in mountains that are 3 km or higher. It is also home to vast dunes and great flat lands, along with dry riverbeds and canyons. The crust of the moon is seismically active, which means new mountains are created and destroyed. There are also various craters on the moon's surface, which are home to very flat and barren lands, filled with sand and limestone. Aavikko's weather is similar to Mars' weather, with their sometimes being massive dust storms that can block out light from the star and increase the moon's reflectivity by up to 10%. Dust storms are common on Aavikko's surface, with there usually being one at any time somewhere on the surface. Along with dust storms there are also dust tornadoes, and other wind related disaster events, and large quakes which can split the ground. Aavikko's thin atmosphere allows heat to be transferred around the moon, keeping the temperature relatively stable, with the hottest areas being at the equator, sometimes reaching up to 51 C° and the coolest areas being at the poles, with temperatures staying stable as well, being around 10-12 C°. There is also a possibility of there being liquid water under the surface of the moon, water trapped for millions of years after impacts from small moons and asteroids, pushing water deep under the surface where it freezes.

## Past Life

Aavikko was once a lush world like Kodu, another moon orbiting the same gas giant in the Tahti system. although little is known about what life was like or how it evolved in the moon's low gravity, it is thought that it evolved much like life on Kodu, with massive continental forests and lush jungles, rivers, lakes, oceans and coral reefs, plains and whole ecosystems, a thriving world. Trees could grow to hundreds of meters in height due to low gravity, although most did not grow this tall. Flight would have been an easy task, since there was little air resistance keeping flying organisms from being pulled back towards the ground. It is unknown weather intelligent life ever evolved on Aavikko, most likely not due to the short time it had to be habitable to life, and the number of impacts from other celestial bodies that took place. Aerial life would have flourished on Aavikko, and is theorized to have been the most diverse type of organisms. Life ended when a number of small moons were thrown off their orbits by the moon's gravity, eventually ending up embedded in the crust of Aavikko, killing all known species and having its atmosphere stripped by Aiti's strengthening radiation belt, due to the proximity to Aiti. In the short time life had to flourish on Aavikko, the moon was a beautiful and diverse place with organisms inhabiting everywhere meets the eye. Now all that is left is billions of fossils and other biproducts from when that time was.

## Gallery

AavikkoAavikko and AitiKodu's shadow on AavikkoAavikko and KoduSome of Aavikko's mountainsKodu in the skyAiti in the skyAavikko's surface map