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High Cyclers

Habitats orbiting Corona (Iota Piscium I)

High Cyclers 1
Image from Steve Bowers
A selection of the habitats found in Corona Cyccler orbit
Collective term for some two dozen habitats traveling in multiple eccentric orbits around the world of Corona. Each cycler is placed on a different orbital path around the planet with perigees of five hundred to one thousand kilometers and apogees ranging from one hundred thousand to over a million kilometers, depending on the habitat.

The High Cyclers are built around a number of design plans, including reengineered asteroids, comet based orwood trees, freespheres, and more conventional habitat cylinders, rings, and spheres. \Cyclers vary in size from five to twenty-five kilometers across and in modern times have all been equipped with reactionless drives to ensure that no collisions with other orbital installations or Corona itself can occur.
High Cyclers
Image from Steve Bowers and The Astronomer
The orbits of the High Cyclers around Corona approach the planet closely, and have periapses lower than the innermost orbital ring
When at closest approach, the larger High Cyclers are visible as naked eye objects from the surface of Corona and offer spectacular and ever changing views of the planet as they travel along their orbits. High Cycler population tends to fluctuate somewhat over the years as the habitats wax and wane in popularity as places to live, but their population always increases dramatically just before the centennial and millennial celebrations honoring the founding of Coronan civilization. During this period, great firesculpting exhibitions take place on and around Corona and these are often considered especially spectacular when viewed from orbit.


high cyclers around Corona
Image from Steve Bowers
Two High Cycler habitats at closest approach to Corona; a closed cylinder habitat and a 25 km orwood tree
 
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Development Notes
Text by Todd Drashner
Initially published on 25 June 2007.

 
 
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