The Moons and Planetary Rings

Shaping of the Rings

The planet Midgardr, that the creatures of Hárronfall call home, is orbited by three moons and planetary rings. The planet used to have five moons, four smaller ones and one larger moon. A couple hundred-thousand years ago that changed when one of the smaller moons crashed into the largest. Both moons got torn apart. Most of the moons’ remains were flung out of orbit from the collision, but some remnants crashed into the planet causing catastrophic damage, wiping out much of the life thriving at the time. The rest of the shattered chunks of the moons fell into the Roche Limit around the planet, which tore them into smaller pieces shaping the rings which are divided into three sections because of the gravitational influence of the other moons. The rings are known as the skyarch in the modern era.

Appearance of the Rings and Moons

The rings are primarily composed of silicates as from moon rocks, so they are nowhere near as brilliant in appearance as planetary rings composed of ice (like the rings around Saturn). While much dimmer and smaller compared to the rings around the gas giants, the skyarch is still an impressive sight to the beings of Hárronfall.

During the night, the skyarch appears much more brilliant and brighter than any of the moons because the rings are closer and larger from the perspective of the ground. At night the moons appear a dimmer gray while the rings shine a bright white. At night, the planet’s shadow eclipses a circular piece of the rings and the shadow moves from east to west until the sun rises.

The appearance of the skyarch changes depending on the season. With Hárronfall in the northern hemisphere, during the summer, sunlight reflects directly off the skyarch visible to Hárronfall. In the winter sunlight shines through what’s visible of the skyarch from the perspective of the ground. In the summer, the skyarch appears much brighter. While in the winter, it gives off dull sunset colors.

Seasons and Weather

The seasons and weather of the planet is greatly affected by the skyarch. The rings eclipse sunlight along the equator that creates an umbrella effect of shadow over what should be the planet’s tropics. The equator is hit with extreme changes in weather having frigid winters when in complete or partial darkness, and short intensely hot summers when exposed to the sun. The area around the equator is constantly freezing over then thawing.

The extreme weather of the equator affects the entire planet. Heavy rains and wind storms are a constant because of the shift in temperature balance. Hárronfall, while set far north from the equator, is no stranger to constant rain and wind. Temperature can change drastically in a day and the changes between seasons do not come smoothly through a gradual change.

The Rings’ Effect on Culture

The rings are the most prominent and constant object in the sky. It is seen through night and day, when the moons are full or darkened. The inhabitants divide their ‘months’ into how many days it takes for the Skyarch to complete an orbit. One month, or cycle rather, is divided into 22 days. The calendar system the beings of Hárronfall use is governed by the sun and skyarch. Every few years there is a leap cycle that is shorter than the cycles so that the days in the year stay in sync with the planet’s orbit around the sun and the skyarch’s rotation around the planet.

Because of the changes the Skyarch goes through the year, the way the planet eclipses the rings in the night, the slight change in perspective when beings of Hárronfall travel north or south, the inhabitants know for a fact that their planet, the moons, and sun are all spherical. They are even able to estimate the size of each of those heavenly bodies. They see that the moon’s orbit around the planet while the planet orbits around the sun. They know some of the heavenly spheres (other planets in the solar system) circle around their sun as well, while other heavenly spheres (the stars) don’t by how they pass by the skyarch. With the naked eye alone, beings of Hárronfall can measure the distance of certain stars from their home planet using the skyarch as a guide. Their complex understanding of the universe and the galaxy far surpass humans’ when civilizations possessed similar levels of technology.

Type

Planetary Orbit