Syro

**Syro** is a hot terrestrial world in the Nova Kirbani b System. The planet has a pretty dense atmosphere and shows signs of recent volcanism. It has one of the largest calderas known to kerbals.

## In-game Description

*"The nature of Syro has always stumped scientists through all of history. Some are convinced that the planet used to be much more like Kerbin before heating up to current temperatures. Others believe that Syro has always been a harsh, volcanic world that just lost all volcanic activity over time. The debate over Syro's formation has been intense since the planet's discovery. Either way, the planet's volcanoes are a very interesting sight, especially the massive caldera on the northern hemisphere."*

## Discovery

Syro was discovered via direct imaging. When it was initially discovered, the vast clouds obscured the surface, leading the Kerbal scientists to explore further and discover inactive volcanoes all over the planet.

## Physical Characteristics

Syro is the larger and equally inhospitable planet orbiting Nova Kirbani B. The planet, although slightly smaller than Kerbin, has a denser atmosphere, making flying much harder for any planes. Syro is covered in a diverse variety of terrain. The majority of Syro’s terrain is covered in dusty hills with some mountainous regions. The surface also has a few large craters that are believed to have shown up recently due to the quick pace of Syros erosion process.

Syro shows evidence of having a once more habitable past, similar to planets like Alva. On the surface, there are visible features such as old lakes and rivers. These are believed to be remnants of Syro’s past when it was more habitable and Kerbin-like. These regions have high amounts of sedimentary rocks and large deposits of carbon-based compounds. They currently show no evidence of once having life, however.

While Syro is believed to have once been habitable, at the same time it is believed to also have been a volcanic world. Syro has one massive extinct volcano on its southern hemisphere. This volcano is the likely source of the abundance of volcanic gases in its atmosphere. Syro also has volcanic highlands, which likely formed as a result of magma rising to the surface without fully turning into a volcano. Syro does not appear to be currently volcanically active.

## Atmosphere and Climate

Syro’s atmosphere is much denser than Kerbin’s. The atmosphere sits at about 5.59 atm, which, combined with its gravity, makes it a painful place to fly on. The dense atmosphere also transmits heat much more efficiently, nearly eliminating local climates. For example, the poles of Syro are close to the same temperature as the equator.

Syro’s atmosphere is made mostly of carbon dioxide, nitrogen, and carbon monoxide, with smaller amounts of argon, oxygen, and methane. Scientists believe the atmosphere used to be more like Kerbin’s in the past, but the greenhouse effect caused Syro’s lakes to evaporate and significantly increase the atmospheric pressures. The high amount of carbon monoxide likely came from volcanic activity from Syro’s caldera.

Because of Syro’s dense atmosphere, the planet lacks any significant climate. Temperatures are consistent almost planetwide, and only change due to Syro’s position relative to Nova Kirbani B and Nova Kirbani A. The planet is also entirely covered in a dense layer of clouds. The clouds block a large amount of sunlight from reaching Syro, effectively cooling the surface. This cloud cover also inhibits the efficiency of solar panels on the surface.

## Possibilities of Life

The high CO₂ content of the atmosphere and the high temperature makes life similar to Kerbals impossible.

## Moons

Syro has two small moons, Tur and Setha. Both moons are believed to have formed along with the planet. As a result, they have similar compositions as Syro. However, both moons have different histories following their formations, which will help learn about Syro's history.

## Biomes

* Lowlands
* Midlands
* Highlands
* Volcanic Highlands
* Volcanoes
* Giganticus Mons
* Old Lakes
* Old Rivers
* Impact Basins
* Kerako Crater
* Polar Regions

## Trivia

* The Kraken will destroy any flying vessel that dares to timewarp inside Syro's atmosphere.