Romulus

Romulus (also known as "The Green Giant" or "Viridis Gigas" by the Latin speaking community) is the fifth planet orbiting 61 Cygni B and is notable for its beautiful greenish/teal atmosphere.

Overview

It is the largest planet of the 61 Cygni system, often visible from Vesta along with Remus. Many moons circle around this giant, although only 2, Hersilia and Aolius, are large.

The skies of Romulus, taken by an atmospheric probe.

Its atmosphere is made up of Hydrogen, Helium and an upper layer of Methane-Ammonia clouds which cause the entrancing green colour of the atmosphere. Weather on Romulus is much like most gas giants, having planet-sized lightning storms (that can be seen from Vesta with telescopes), and even a massive cyclonic storm similar to Jupiter's great red spot, known as the Great Green Spot for obvious reasons. Winds on Romulus race up to speeds of roughly 596 mph/959 kph.

Like Jupiter, Romulus is widely believed to be a failed star or even a proto-brown dwarf due to its size and has been classed as a Super-Jovian.

History and discovery

The presence of a large object around 61 Cygni had been suspected by astronomers in the early 21st Century although it wasn't officially discovered until the mid 22nd Century. Of course, the planet never gained much interest until the ISEP-2 probe visited Vesta and had gone to investigate the second object. The colourful atmosphere had immediately caught attention of astronomers on Earth, however with Vesta being the main object of interest, Romulus was pushed aside until 2345 when small probes were sent by colonists on Vesta.

It would soon be named Romulus after the discovery of a planet orbiting near it, after the mythical Roman twins, Romulus and Remus. It soon became something of a gem for the people of Vesta to look at through telescopes at night to observe Romulus and Remus in the sky.

Moon system

While mostly consisting of captured asteroids, the Romulan Moon system features some interesting places.

Hersilia

A large desert moon, between the sizes of Earth and Mars, notable for its high snow-peaked mountains. Said snow is confirmed to be H2O which has made Hersilia a potential site for colonisation and even terraforming in the future.

Aolius

Famous for its iodine oceans and atmosphere, giving it a unique, purple colour. Aolius has been noted as one of the most interesting worlds in the system and is often the first stop during Romulan Moon tours, with countless people admiring its serene purple appearance from orbit. Due to its content, Iodine is mined there to be shipped off for medical usage throughout the system. Unfortunately, there are no permanent settlements here nor are there plans for any, thanks to its poisonous atmosphere.

The Discus

A small, 45km minor moon, noteworthy for its extremely oblate shape, rotating at rapid speeds as it circles around Romulus.