Tanit III

Tanit III, Eshmun, dominated the sky at all times, whether one was on Carteia or Barcino. A blue gas giant, it was beautiful and the only reason two of its moons were warm enough to sustain life. It wa salso one of the major reasons there were terrans on the moons at all. Its atmosphere was a thick blend of hydrogen, helium, and hydrocarbons in the lower stratas, a rich source of energy for the whole system. The lack of rings around it made navigation and the establishment of orbital processing stations viable. In a few weeks, he'd be on shift again, and then it was off to Tanit II on a delivery run for a much needed vacation.

---

Resting a comfortable distance from Tanit's lifegiving rays, Tanit III, Eshmun, is a Class II gas giant that is approximately 4.6x the size of Earth. Its proximity to the system's star at the periphery of the Goldilocks Zone gives it a water vapour cloud atmosphere wiht a high albedo. This albedo and its location have allowed two of its five moons to be friendly to terrestrial life. Tanit III is the target of intense resource extraction, with hydrogen, helium 3 and 4, and methane being the targets. The world has four artificial satellites, two operated by interests on Tanit II, and the others by groups on the habitable moons, Carteia and Barcino. These satellites are collection and processing facilities for the gases collected from Tanit III. An in-system hyerspace gate facilitates quick travel to and from Tanit II's orbit, which would otherwise be a two to three week journey depending on the capabilities of the vessel. The planet itself, and the rights to mine gasses there, are monitored and maintained by the Tanit System League.

Geography

Deep penetration scans indicate that there's an ultradense core at the centre of the planet, but its features remain obscured. The survivable (in a space vessel or harvester craft) parts of the world are made up of "water" vapour clouds.

Ecosystem

Tanit III is a gas giant with five moons. Certeia and Barcino are habitable, while Edeta, Basti, and Acci are rocky ice-balls.

Localized Phenomena

The magnetic fields emitted by Tanit III are particularly strong and result in a unique aurora effect that's visible from its moons and satellites at night. The Eshmun Lights are famous in the system and popular with tourists.

Climate

The planet has fierce storms and winds that keep its clouds swirling and turbulant. Gas mining vessels losses aren't unknown, and the crushed remains of vessels and harvesters caught in the storms theoretically litter the ultra dense core of the world below the clouds. "Summer" is the worst season for these, and in bad years has led to hydrogen rationing in the system.

Natural Resources

As a Class II gas giant, Tanit II is rich with gas resources that are "mined" for in system use. These being hydrogen, helium 3, helium 4, and methane. Aside from those, there are no other known or reachable resources on the planet. Unknown processes at the centre of the planet appear to be generating these gasses, and scientists are eager to figure out how to explore it to find out the full process.

History

Tanit III was idenfified early in the exploratory and surveying phase of the Tanit System as an energy resource, and that it had two habitable moons made the situation even better. Gas mining on the planet has been happening since the first days of colonization, and only an estimated 0.0005% of its resources have been extracted.

Tourism

The tourism industry for Tanit III is based on its two moons, Carteia and Barcino. The main attractions are the Eshmun Lights, and watching asteroid impacts on Edeta, Basti, and Acci. Access to the planet itself is restricted owing to its unpredicable winds and storms.

Alternative Name(s)

Eshmun

Type

Planet

Location under

Tanit System

Owning Organization

The Tanit System League