Azerah

Azerah, as seen from above.

0.8% Other

Eufor (Lambda VIIc / BIII)

30+ Minor Moons

Azerah is the seventh planet in the Lambda system. It is a hydrogen/helium gas giant believed to be a failed binary partner to Lambda proper due to its mass of over twelve times that of Jupiter, though there is ongoing debate among the nations of Demet as to whether or not it deserves that status.

## Description

Azerah is a massive gas giant in the outer Lambda system. Its coloration comes from organic bromine compounds that break down in the interior of the planet. Free bromine atoms are carried to its surface as gases rise, revealing a deep red-orange coloration as the gas condenses at high latitudes before descending, where the compounds are reformed. Its equatorial bands are a yellow-white color much more typical for gas giants.

Its mass and tidal effects from its many planetary-mass moons have heated its interior to the point that it radiates enough heat to glow, as can be seen through thinner parts of the upper cloud layers. This heat, combined with tidal effects from other moons in its orbit, have led to the somewhat habitable surface conditions on its third moon.

Unusual for a planet of its kind, it lacks any sort of ring system, likely as a result of its massive moons.

The heat and turbulence of the atmosphere has prevented large-scale hydrogen fuel mining, but exotic matter trapped in its massive and powerful magnetic field is harvested often by the elania on Eufor, where some is traded to the demetians.

Its name comes from the patron deity of the ald, Azerah, who was a living quinia and one of the first ald to have been born. Alternative names include Lambda VII and Lambda B, the latter used in circles where the body is referred to as a brown dwarf star. In those same circles, its moons are referred to with numeral designations rather than numeral-minuscule, as they would be considered planets.

## Moons

One of the planet's best known features is its three regular satellites, with a total mass of nearly five times that of Demet. All of the moons have distinct environments, which lends credibility to the theory that they were captured as the planet wandered through the solar system in its early years.

### Iyampata

The first of the three major moons, Iyampata is a relatively warm and barren sphere that circles Azerah every sixty-three hours and six minutes. It's 1.58 times as massive as Earth, and almost 20% larger by radius. Its composition almost entirely lacks heavy metals, and its core is small. It would be geologically dead if not for the tidal effects from Azerah and the other moons.

### Eufor

Eufor is the second regular satellite. It is intermediate in size between Earth and Mars, with 57% of Earth's mass and 80% of its radius. Its metal core makes up almost half of the planet's mass, which when combined with tidal effects from its sister moons and parent makes it quite geologically active, with a powerful magnetosphere.

Heat and light radiated from both Lambda and Azerah along with its own geothermal activity keep the planet relatively warm, only slightly colder than Altus at an average of -38 degrees Celsius, making its environment remarkably similar to that of Temno. The first attempted Demetian colonies failed due to its atmosphere unknowingly having a high concentration of nitrous oxide making all Demetians become far too intoxicated to operate their equipment, which in turn prevented their retrieval. The elania who assured them the air was breathable, as they share a preference for nitrogen-oxygen mixed atmospheres, did not realize their sensitivity to the gas.

It currently exists as a colonial extremity of the elania, with exports of N2O as a recreational drug, and Azeran exotic matter for use in Demetian drives. It is most often traded for Icarian hydrogen.

### Kimaku

Kimaku is both the largest and most massive solid body in the entire system, with a mass over 2.5 times and a radius of 135% that of Earth. More than half of its mass is it's iron-nickel-sodium core, with the remaining 42.1% divided between two parts silicates and three parts water in both solid and liquid states. Its surface gravity was only 1.4 times that of Earth due to its very low density of 5.68 g/cm3.

### Minor Moons

Azerah has over 30 known minor moons, none have achieved hydrostatic equilibrium or maintain equatorial orbits within the orbit of Kimaku. A third of which have retrograde orbits, and all of which are highly inclined. The majority of them are composed of ice, though there are a few with a more rocky or metallic makeup.

## Old for Reference

Lambda Prime (also referred to as Lambda Minor) is a bright orange gas giant planet nearly 4 times the mass of jupiter and is the farthest known planet of the Lambda System.

This planet's most notable feature is its several planet sized moons, some being up to twice as massive as earth. It is currently believed to have drifted inwards at some point, carrying many planetesimals out with it when it left. It introduced them to the uncontested outer system materials.

Its name comes from the Ald god of guarding, and shares its name with the star, Lambda. Prime was added for distinction, and its being the largest planet in the system.

## Moons

### LP1

A hot ball of rock that orbits so closely that tidal forces are causing global resurfacings. It has a mass of 1.8 earths and orbits in 1.3 days.

### LP2

A "moon" with the same mass as earth, but with an extra .2 Gs of gravity added due to a higher iron content that is tidally locked at approximately 2.6 days. Despite its distance of almost 6.7 AU from Lambda, it maintains a temperature of about 15 degrees celsius or 60 fahrenheit due to tidal heating and heat radiated from Prime. The atmosphere may look toxic due to its orangy-yellow color, but it is only the color of its host planet reflecting light into the near earth pressure atmosphere.

The other three are unremarkable aside from their large masses for moons. They range from .5 to 2 earth masses.

## Climate

Its density suggests a heavier core, but it is currently believed to be pressure ice surrounded by liquid-metal hydrogen-3. Its surface temperature is around 750 degrees fahrenheit. This heat is part of the reason that LP2 is habitable.

## Life

Life could possibly exist on the second moon, but it is unknown. The moon is a colony target for Unem.