Taythe

Taythe, the jungle moon

19.9% ice

91192.5 pascals

18% Carbon Dioxide (CO2)

5.5% Xenon (Xe)

>1% Methane and Hydrogen Sulfide (CH4, H2S)

**Taythe** is known in KSS as a "new Laythe". It actually has a lot similar to the Laythe in stock KSP. However, Taythe has developed life on the surface and in the seas. It is the 3rd moon of Mirn.

## In-game Description

*"Ahh Taythe...sometimes known as the “fancy Laythe ripoff”, this moon of Mirn came as a surprise to astronomers who first sighted it. I wouldn’t blame them. I would be surprised too if I thought Laythe had teleported to another star system overnight. Of course, astronomers quickly realized that the moon was not in fact Laythe, but an entirely new moon that was teeming with life-forms.  Taythe sometimes gets doses of radiation from Mirn’s Van Allen belts, but is otherwise a nice place to live and explore."*

## Physical Characteristics

As stated before, Taythe's appearance has a lot in common with Laythe in stock KSP. It is a mostly oceanic moon, with islands and continents dotting the surface. The continents and islands are kept mostly by the plant life, as Taythe is covered mostly in massive jungles, with grasslands near the poles.

There are a few things about Taythe that make it very interesting to kerbal scientists. One of the things is that Taythe is covered in a rare superconductor called Cantfindium, which is not found on Kerbin at all. Some of the regions with large amounts of Cantfindium interact directly with Taythe's and Mirn's magnetic fields, creating a hot spot for magnetic anomalies.

Another interesting fact about Taythe is that its dense atmosphere combined with the low gravity create large plant lifeforms that reach many stories high. This is unique, as most of the bodies known to have complex ecosystems have a higher gravity than Kerbin.

## Atmosphere

Taythe's atmosphere is a mixture of nitrogen (52.1%), oxygen (23.4%), carbon dioxide (18%), xenon (5.5%), methane, and hydrogen sulfide (>1%) and, has an atmosphere about 90% as dense as that of Kerbin's. The high concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere makes it extremely poisonous to kerbals, rendering them unconscious in about 20 seconds and causing death in about 4 minutes if one attempts to breathe without a mask. The hydrogen sulfide in the atmosphere, despite being at such low concentrations, can also be quite poisonous to kerbals, with concentrations over 1000 ppm (0.1 %) causing immediate collapse with subsequent loss of breathing, even after inhalation of a single breath.

## Climate

Taythe's climate is driven mostly by its landmasses and tidal forces from Mirn. Similar to Kerbin, Taythe's continents tend to drive weather patterns, but due to more ocean-cover than on Kerbin, Taythe's climate is more predictable.

Taythe's relationship to Mirn also helps to control its climate. Longer days means that there is a larger temperature difference in the two hemispheres of Taythe, meaning that winds are usually stronger than on Kerbin, which is good for life on the surface.

Unlike Kerbin, Taythe has no axial tilt due to its tidal locking with Mirn. Because of this, seasons are more consistent and less varied, meaning that the temperatures on Taythe are always the same.

## Life

Taythe has developed life on the surface and in the seas. Due to Taythe's Kerbin-like atmosphere and lower gravity, life on Taythe is better able to fly. This lead to the evolution of strange, permanently airborne creatures on the surface.

The life on Taythe is both similar and different to life on Kerbin. The majority of the continents are covered in dense jungles, with trees many times larger than trees on Kerbin. Taythe is also known to have a few grasslands, mainly near the poles where the trees can't get enough light.

Ocean life on Taythe is also somewhat similar to on Kerbin. The ocean life is dominated by mostly invertebrates, with both soft shells and hard shells. One of the most complex regions in the oceans would be the kelp reefs, which dominate the shallows near the continents.

Another way some species have managed to survive on Taythe is because of the high amounts of Cantfindium. These hotspots interact with the magnetic field of Mirn, creating magnetic anomalies that some creatures have been able to use. This has led to creatures being able to walk upside down with ease or levitate.

Many Taythean plants and animals also display bio-luminescence as a way to communicate and to warn predators in the dark of night. As a result, Taythe's night side lights up when seen from space.

Taythe's superhabitability can also be attributed to its geography. Large amounts of islands lead to isolation from one another. As a result, these islands provide many separate niches that almost any organism on Taythe could fit into. Life on a 2 islands on Taythe may be more different from each other than they are to life on Kerbin.

### Possibilities of Intelligent Life

Recent archaeological expeditions to Taythe have revealed compelling evidence of a primitive civilization that existed long before kerbal civilization. This group doesn't show any parallels to the hypothetical Precursor Civilization, but rather a completely different one that seems to have developed without any outside influence. Kerbal scientists have dubbed this civilization the Ka'vi.

However, scientists are unsure about where the Ka'vi have gone, or why. The leading theory connects to high amounts of radiation found in sites where the Ka'vi once were, and believe that they were wiped from existence by an unseen force.

However, there is a second possibility of intelligent life on Taythe, one what was recently discovered by kerbal scientists and is being hotly debated. It is believed that multiple tree species spread out across the vast forests of Taythe are actually linked together through their roots, forming a giant neural network with trillions of connections. A network of this complexity could act similarly to a massive brain, meaning that the forests of Taythe can actually think for themselves. More evidence is required to confirm this hypothesis.

## Biomes

Taythe has 10 biomes:

* Water
* Inland Water
* Shores
* Floodplains
* Forests
* Lowlands
* Midlands
* Highlands
* Mountains
* Ice Caps

## Trivia

* Taythe's appearance has been inspired by Pandora, a fictional moon in James Cameron's movie "Avatar".
* Because Taythe is covered with large swaths of rainforest and reefs (which are both very dense and diverse biomes), the moon has achieved the status of "superhabitability," as given by the Kerbal Astronomical Society.