BY LETTER
HydroJovian Type
Temperate gas giants with clouds predominantly consisting of water vapour | |
 Image from Steve Bowers | |
| Bronx, a hydrojovian in the New Brooklyn System, with the prominent Great Blue Spot | |
The temperature ranges of these worlds is -123 to 76 degrees Celsius, with upper atmospheres composed primarily of water ice, giving them a predominantly white appearance. Cooler polar regions may still support the brown-stained ammonia clouds, although this coloration would typically be rather muted due to the lack of intense solar radiation. The dominant colour of this type of planet is blue, which results from rayleigh scattering in the drier regions of the atmosphere; the gases involved are mostly hydrogen and helium. The warmer worlds of this Class may form yellow condensates of sulfurous compounds. The predominance of white clouds, however, give a high albedo of around 0.8.
Examples of this type are Danzig, Bronx, Frei, Akirate, and Byjove.
 Image from Steve Bowers | |
| The temperate gas giant Danzig, showing the typical white and blue colours of these worlds. Moons of these temperate gas giants are often good candidates for terraforming; some may already hold life. | |
Some HydroJovianworlds have moons on which life has developed. In certain cases microbial life may be transferred into the atmosphere of the gas giant itself, where it may thrive: many life-bearing gas giants are hydrojovian class worlds. These worlds may acquire a wide range of colouration from the atmospheric biomes.
Examples Silence, Macrystis.
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Development Notes
Text by John M. Dollan, with comments by Steve Bowers
Initially published on 31 December 2007.
Initially published on 31 December 2007.
