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Tau Ceti

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Tau Ceti is a solitary star within the constellation Cetus (as seen from Earth). The European Space Agency (ESA) commissioned the starship ESAS Cetus for its 98 year trip to colonize Tau Ceti. Upon arrival, the passengers noticed that the star system was rich in a substance not found in our Solar System: monopolium.

It is speculated that either two closed loop cosmic strings collided eons ago, generating intense gravitational waves and magnetic monopoles near this star system, or a primordial black hole decayed as a white hole near this star system, with monopoles and gravitational waves among its output. If the former, since cosmic strings should be rare at intergalactic scales, the Tau Ceti star system may be the only star system in our Local Group of Galaxies to possess monopolium ore.

Gravity disruptions from the colliding cosmic strings or the decaying white hole are thought to have affected the planetary orbits of this star system, especially the inward migration of Zeus (Tau Ceti II), and the outward migration of Boreas (Tau Ceti III). Zeus has so few moons since most of them were likely ejected during the planet's inward migration. The outer Debris Disk is likely a consequence of the gravitational disruptions, but it is not well understood how Poseidon (Tau Ceti IV) was able to form and remain in its orbit from before those same disruptions.

 

History and Colonization

Main Article: History of the Tau Ceti Star System

That Tau Ceti was full of monopolium was discovered in the early 22nd century. By the 23rd century, human settlements were formed in this star system. Since faster than light travel and communication did not exist, it was assumed that while these settlements should export monopolium back to Earth, they would be politically independent of Earth.

 

Planets and Major Moons

Tau Ceti I: Hephaestus

Main Article: Hephaestus

A "hot Mars," the iron-rich world is baked by Tau Ceti. The crust of the planet is a single plate, with the core having cooled off eons ago losing its magnetosphere. As a consequence, the planet lost most of its atmosphere to stellar winds. Hephaestus cannot become tidally locked to its star, due to tidal forces from its large moon, Arges. However, tidal forces from its star has slowed its rotational period such that it is tidally locked with its large moon.

  • Classification: Hot Terrestrial World
  • Orbital Distance: 0.18 AU
  • Surface Temperature: +210C
  • Surface Gravity: 1.19g
  • Radiation: High (Ultraviolet, Solar, and Cosmic)
  • Atmosphere: Trace Gasses
  • Satellites: 1 (Arges)
  • Population:
 

Tau Ceti II: Zeus

Main Article: Zeus

This gas giant migrated inward, likely due to the gravitational disruptions that afflicted this star system eons ago, related to the saturation of the system with monopolium. Due to extensive water vapor clouds, the gas giant is subject to a strong greenhouse effect (offsetting its increased albedo), which in addition to heat from the core, raise the temperature some 100 degrees above its equilibrium temperature of -59C.

The planet has three large moons, one of them a carbon moon (like Saturn's moon, Titan). Since the mass of Zeus is between that of Saturn and Neptune, it is conjectured that the large moons Zeus now has were captured as the planet migrated inward. This would have caused many of its native moons to be ejected, leading to the small population of moons today.

  • Classification: Water Jovian World
  • Orbital Distance: 0.50 AU
  • Surface Temperature: +41C
  • Satellites: 9 (Olympia, Ares, Apollo)
  • Population:
 

Tau Ceti III: Boreas

Main Article: Boreas

Given the planet's relatively high density, it is conjectured that as Zeus migrated inward, this rocky world was displaced outward, occupying its position right at the "snow line" for Tau Ceti. Being at the snow line while not being a gas giant demonstrates that this world formed much farther inward. This planet is far too cold for potent greenhouse gasses like CO2 to be anything but solid (or "ices"). Hence, a nice crisp blue nitrogen atmosphere covers the planet.

  • Classification: Ice Terrestrial World
  • Orbital Distance: 3.5 AU
  • Surface Temperature: -149C
  • Surface Gravity: 0.99g
  • Radiation: High (Ultraviolet)
  • Atmosphere: 0.82 atm (96% N2)
  • Satellites: None
  • Population:
 

Tau Ceti IV: Poseidon

Main Article: Poseidon

Given the amount of material in the debris disk in this system, it is conjectured that Poseidon formed very closely to where it orbits today, around Tau Ceti. Hence, it and perhaps Hephaestus are the only two worlds in this system unaffected by whatever gravitational disruptions this system was afflicted with eons ago. This world acts as a "gravitational shepherd" to the Debris Disk. Its interactions with the Debris Disk has left Poseidon with very few moons.

  • Classification: Ice Jovian World
  • Orbital Distance: 9.84 AU
  • Surface Temperature: -182.6C
  • Satellites: 12
  • Population:
 

Tau Ceti Debris Disk

Main Article: Tau Ceti Debris Disk

The origin of the debris disk is debated, but most scientists think it was an outcome of the gravitational disruptions early in Tau Ceti's history, the origin of magnetic monopoles in the system. The disk is some ten times more populated than the asteroid belt and Kuiper belt in our own Solar System and monopolium-rich. The relatively even distribution of monopolium adds further credence to the claim that monopoles appeared while the Debris Disk was still forming.

Monopolium was first discovered in this disk, when spectral analysis revealed an overabundance of helium and hydrogen—yet the density showed the debris to be much denser than iron-asteroids. It was only in analysis of samples that what was detected as helium and hydrogen was really monopolium ore, since (cold) monopolium has spectral lines identical to that of hydrogen and helium. Only X-ray analysis or "hot" monopolium reveals its x-ray spectral line.

  • Orbital Distance: 10 AU to 50 AU
  • Surface Temperature:
  • Radiation: High (Ultraviolet, Solar, Cosmic)
  • Population:

References

General Physics

Original Usenet Physics FAQ
The Physics Stack Exchange
Atomic Rockets by Winchell Chung

General Astronomy

Stellar Catalog
Atlas of the Universe

Quantum Gravity

Loop Quantum Gravity: Planck Stars (2014) / (Free Version)

Magnetic Monopoles

Short Primer on Magnetic Monopoles (Free 2017)
Good Primer on Magnetic Monopoles (1984)
Extensive Research on Magnetic Monopoles (1983)

Cosmic Strings

Number of Cosmic Strings (2014) / (Free Version)

Tau Ceti Star System

by Hokon

Tau Ceti

Distance: 11.9 light-years

Spectral Class: G8V

Age: 8 Billion years

Mass: 0.80 Suns

Radius: 0.79 Suns

Luminosity: 0.45 Suns

Surface Temperature: 5320K

Related Articles

History of the Tau Ceti Star System
Monopolium
The ESAS Cetus
The CSS Tianlong

Planets and Moons

Tau Ceti I: Hephaestus
Tau Ceti I-1: Arges
Tau Ceti II: Zeus
Tau Ceti II-1: Olympia
Tau Ceti II-2: Ares
Tau Ceti II-8: Apollo
Tau Ceti III: Boreas
Tau Ceti IV: Poseidon
Tau Ceti Debris Disk


Cover image: by Ronwald