Unstable Orbit
Terhy had always been on a path of destruction. It, and its parent had been discovered over 600 years prior to the first explorers of the solar system. From over 5000 light years away, the first discoverers noticed the very tight orbit Terhy followed. Further analysis revealed the orbit was only getting tighter. As telescopes inched closer with
Nastera colonization, people watched the moon meet its doom. First it was dust, then rocks and boulders. Terhy was stretched, to the breaking point. Continent sized pieces were lifted from the surface and ground down, until they settled into a safe orbit or fell into the atmosphere to be destroyed.
Scientists are unsure why Terhy's orbit was constantly degrading. The most widely accepted theory was that gravitational influences from the other planets in the solar system were slowing the moon, thus making it fall closer to Chutar. Most known moons have stable orbits. There is little, if any risk that most moons will either fall into their parent, or be ejected into interplanetary space.
Formation of Chutar's Rings
A lot of planetary rings are formed from destroyed moons. The
Roche limit (Wikipedia) is a sort of hard limit around a celestial body in which a secondary body can exist intact. The Roche radius varies based on a number of factors such as the surface gravity of an object, it's oblateness, and the material it is made out of. When Terhy crossed the boundary, it immediately started to be destroyed. It starts with loose objects on the surface such as dust, rocks, and large boulders. Eventually, the structure of the planet is lost. Entire chunks of geography get lifted from the surface, until the entire body collapses.
All that debris quickly catches an orbit around its parent planet, or it falls to the surface. When explorers first arrived to Chutar, they found the moon had completely shattered. Rings were already forming, while chunks of the moon the size of nations persisted in a ground where the Terhy once orbited. By the time the
Quadriarma dissolved, the moon was mostly pulverized and almost formed a slightly unbalanced ring. In about 10,000 years, the magnificent ring will disappear from sight.
Ecosystem Damage
The destruction of Terhy absolutely devastated Chutar's biosphere. The planet's life were used to the conditions generated by the moon's proximity. Plant life thrived and kept the atmosphere safe despite the rampant volcanism. Life in the deep sea was remarkably diverse thanks to energy flow from underwater volcanism and sediments washing from the tidal plains. When the moon get's destroyed, the volcanism stops. Massive rings generated block off a lot of light, and the deep sea looses its lifeline.
Destruction of the Ocean Climate
The oceans of Chutar were to be hit the hardest during the Terhy cataclysm. 80% of deep sea life would die off, and roughly 65% of all species were to go extinct. Only the hardiest of life near thermal vents that would continue after the moon's death would have a chance of surviving. Without fresh magma flows, the ocean temperature could cool by around 10℃ which would permanently alter the planetary climate.
Destruction of Surface Climates
The surface would fair a bit better after the destruction of Terhy, but it would certainly be changed forever. Like sea life, life on the surface revolved around volcanism. Plants and animals alike required the sulfuric gases present in the atmosphere. These gases required constant replenishment from the interior of the planet. Once the volcanoes end, the volatile compounds will quickly break down and life will be choked. The ring's forming around the planet would block out sunlight in some regions for half a year, killing all plant life and any animals that could not leave. Shadows cast by the rings would cool the planet so much that it might have created an ice age. Ultimately, it seemed like life would be doomed, if not for intervention.
Fight Against Death
Chutar was an incredibly valuable world from the get-go. Not only was it naturally habitable, but it also had a natural biosphere and an atmosphere that the
Nastera could breath with only CO
2 masks. The destruction of Terhy was thus taken as a major threat to the Nastera. Even before the first ships could get to Chutar, plans were already being made to save the environment of the planet.
It was known that Terhy would be destroyed by the time anyone would arrive, so the biggest concern is to stabilize planetary temperatures. Three factors needed to be considered: volatile volcanic gases, the rings, and the debris from the rings. The oceans were considered a lost cause and would have to regenerate on their own. There was simply no way to save the deep sea.
Regenerating Volcanic Gases
Several trillions worth of dollars were invested into planetary protection programs by the
Nastera. Ironically, protecting the planets biosphere required destroying much of it. Too much plant life meant too many organisms metabolizing the sulfuric gases. To save the planet, you first had to kill it. Forests were strategically bombarded and burned, which slowed depletion of the atmosphere, and also released trillions of tons of carbon dioxide which temporarily mitigated cooling effects of the rings. Flights of thousands of aircraft released herbicides over the oceans to kill phytoplankton and algae, which benefited deep sea life by providing
marine snow (NOAA). While this was happening, ordinary people and scientists alike were hired to collect samples of different organisms that could be found before and after culling and environment. However, this did not solve the problem of absent volcanoes.
It was unreasonable to try instigate volcanic eruptions. Such an effort required celestial forces. Instead, Nastera settlers had to play dirty. A large supply chain of sulfur was built around the planet. Ships imported sulfur and some of its compounds, and every effort was made the disperse it. Even the
Trotans got involved. Sulfur burning engines were used in shuttles, vehicles, and powerplants that would be too polluting on other planets. However, most sulfur based gases were injected into the atmosphere by simply burning it for no other gains. Deep crust mining is legal on Chutar. Molten sulfur and volcanic gases can be found abundantly in the lower lithosphere of the planet which can be pumped to the surface and burned.
Beating the Shadows
The shadows cast by the ghostly rings of Terhy are one of the biggest threats to the biosphere and climate of Chutar. Massive shadows are cast across the entire planet year-round, that would kill plant life and cooling the planet. Protecting the surface requires something that had never been done before in the entire Celestial Grove, building a planetary scale statite reflector. Statite are incredibly light satellites that use solar winds to hold a static position. Three large statites holding a high position above Chutar reflecting sunlight. Areas behind the rings are lit up during the day as if there were no rings there. However, due to the position of the statite sending light to the surface, the rings are also lit up making them clearly visible during the day.
Removing Debris
Protecting Chutar from the falling remains of Terhy was the most expensive. The lower orbit of the planet was saturated with fragments so spacecraft could not safely fly around the equatorial plane. Many proposals were made to stop too many rocks from cooking the atmospheres. Some proposals, like mining the largest chunks of moon left seemed pretty reasonable, but others, like detonating antimatter in the inner ring were quickly shot down. The final answer: sunlight. By reflecting and concentrating sunlight, the inner section of the ring could be vaporized before scraps fall. This method quickly cleared the inner orbit of Chutar, paving safe passage for spacecraft.
When the rings finally stabilized, and all large chunks of the moon were destroyed, it was considered that the same system should be used to burn away the rings. Doing this meant ships would not have to go out of there way to avoid the rings, and the statites that kept the planet warm and plants alive would not be required. This would ultimately free up the hassle of maintaining the incredibly fragile climate patch. However, the rings of the planet are iconic. No other terrestrial planet has a ring system, and lots of people wish to see the sights. Ultimately, the rings would be let to dissipate in the next several thousand years.
Global Recovery
In the end, the destruction of Terhy never truly took its parent's biosphere with it. The planet was completely redefined. The fate of the oceans is unknown, but life still persists. Aquatic life near the oceans surface are almost completely genetically engineered, based on
Laepa native aquatic life. Studies show the deep sea still has life, and research is being made on the viability of engineering life for those environments. Plant life from Laepa has been altered and imported. Made for the creatures, but not as thirsty and sulfur hungry as native plants.
The climate of the planet is permanently altered. Without the heat energy in the oceans and the tidal currents, the planet was met with severe drought. Most of the plant life that survived the disaster and culling would die in the century long droughts. Slow recovery was made, and eventually Chutar was turned into one of the most lush planets with an incredibly productive farm industry.
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