Eranda - A yellow main sequence star, Type G5, nearly the same mass and possibly younger than our sun. Distance is roughly 138 light years from Sol. Metallicity (metallic element concentration) is higher than that of Sol. Hence favoring formation of higher mass gas giants closer in to the main star. And a high probability of large satellites forming with greater rock to ice ratios.

Although fictional, the star system is based on the G-type star HD-28185 which has a high mass gas giant orbiting in it's habital zone slightly longer than 1 year.

Eranda has three planets and asteroid belts. Unlike Sol, Eranda has only one rocky planet and two Gas giants.

Brzina - The inner rocky planet. Dense and rocky with a 4000 km radius. With a searing somewhat thin (300 millibar) atmosphere of CO2 coating a volcanic landscape. A lifeless, hostile surface with a gravity of 0.6 G. Orbiting roughly 0.4 AU (Further than Mercury at Sol).

Kurjak - A high mass gas giant (72,000 km radius) orbiting at 1.03 AU, period 384 days. Five major satellites.

Minor asteroid belt at around 3.5 to 6 AU with band gaps. Mostly rocky with nickel-iron and metamorphic rock bodies due to planetesimal formation and breakup from interactions between Taman and Kurjak

Taman - A Neptune sized gas giant at 8 AU. 4 major satellites, 6 minor bodies.

Ice/Rock asteroid belt from 15 AU and beyond. Resembling Sol's Kuiper belt, but closer. Several near planetary sized bodies in 3:2 and 5:2 orbital resonances with Taman as well as several dozen with long period ( > 500 earth year) elliptical orbits, many in high inclination.

Kurjak - Mass 5.71 times that of Sol's Jupiter. Averaged radius 72,000 km. Classified as a Super Jovian. Axial tilt to it's Sun, 6 degrees. Rotation period based on magnetic field: 10 hours. Unlike Jupiter, it's upper cloud base is not colored by ammonia based compounds. The close orbit to it's sun causes those gases to remain uncondensed. The dominate visible high clouds are water vapor and water ice, laced with colors generated from trace hydrocarbons broken down by Eranda's UV sunlight. The planet's overall appearance are bands of white with the smog generated hydrocarbons coloring the clouds with gray streaks. An appearance that has been compared to a pelt like texture. The bands delineate major wind zones. Deeper layers in the cloud base have a bluish tint. In a manner akin to Jupiter, Kurjak's wind zones have deep welling storm vortexes which are tinged with yellow from sulfides and other compounds brought up from the depths. Some of the storm vortexes are stable for centuries. Kurak has one prominent earth sized vortex spot that's eye yellow in color. Others appear and disappear over the seasons.

Kurjak's appearance has been likened to the textured pelt of a white (with blue undertones) wolf. The storm vortexes are called the Eyes of Kurjak. Kurjak is referred in the female gender. The planet's name is derived from an ancient earth name for wolf.

The gas giant has a planetary ring system. A faint, but visible ring of rock and dust. Partly composed of ejected volcanic ash from Stene and Pas. The rest is eroded debris emitted from embedded asteriod sized moonlets composed of denser rock. Some of which have an iron-nickel composition. Gravitational shepherding from the moonlets give Kurjak's dust ring a banded appearance.

Kurjak has five major planetary sized moons. Having been formed out of a solar nebula with higher metallicity and closer to it's parent sun, the moons have a higher content of rock and are more dense than would be the case of the satellites orbiting at Sol's distant orbiting gas giants.

In a manner mimicking solar planetary formation, the abundance of water and other light gases on the satellites increases the further away from the gas giant. Kurjak's mass and close orbit to it's sun has kept the inner system swept clean of other minor bodies. Hence few minor bodies orbiting beyond the five major satellites*. Two and possibly three of Kurjak's moons support life. Currently, only one moon has been settled by anthro canines who migrated from the Sol system.

• There are a few small asteroids found at Kurjak's L4, L5 orbital zones. Like Jupiter's Trojan asteroids,

1 - Stene (pup): Small, dense rocky moon, 2000 km radius. It's large metallic core makes it dense at 5.8gm/cm for a surface gravity of 0.33 G. Orbiting with a 2:1 orbital resonance with Pas. Resonance tidal influences from both Kurjak and Pas make for a nightmarish volcanic landscape blasted by the radiation belts within Kurjak's magnetosphere. The volcanic out gassings generate a ghostly thin, short lived atmosphere of CO2 and H2S clinging to the surface. The lack of a magnetic field, solar winds and Kurjak's own radiation belts conspire to scour the atmosphere to a thin veil. Most of the ashy volcanic outbursts are of sufficient velocity to escape Stene's gravity and eventually spiral into Kurjak's dusty ring. Orbital period 1.77 days, average orbital radius 753,570 km. Rotation tidal locked to period. Axial tilt perpendicular with Kurjak's equatorial plane.

2 - Pas (dog): Larger, dense rocky body. 2200 km radius, 5.6 gm/cm resulting in a surface gravity of 0.35 G. Not as volcanic as Stene and subject to the same radiation belt influx from Kurjak and smaller resonant tidal forces. The mottled and tricolor appearance of the moon resembles the colored pelt of an outlander canine from Kopno. Pas is in a 1:2 orbital resonance with Stene. It too has a thin veil of atmosphere mostly CO2 with sulfides. Orbital period 3.55 days, average orbit radius 1,198,000 km. Rotation tidal locked to period. Axial tilt perpendicular with Kurjak's equatorial plane.

3 - Loviti (hound): Axial tilt to it's orbital plane 16 degrees. Orbiting outside the magnetosphere and radiation belts of Kurjak. Larger than Sol's Mars, 3800 km radius, and denser at 5 gm/cm which makes for a surface gravity of about 0.54 G. Loviti's orbital period is 16.9 earth days, average orbital radius from Kurjak is 3,366,000 km. Rotation 41 hours. A slow turning world of extreme temperature swings.

Loviti has an atmosphere who's density averages 10.2 psi or 700 millibars (equivalent to 11,000 ft of elevation on Earth). Around a quarter of the surface is coated in water or ice. Life exists here as a simple bacteria and algae like photosynthesis biosphere.

Lacking thin plate tectonics, sporadic geologic activity, slight protection from a weak magnatic field along with the erosive effects of solar winds is thought to have contributed to thinning of the atmosphere over the eons and gradual drying out of the moon. The moon's high latitude water reserves lie in permafrost with salty bodies of water in the equatorial regions along with seasonal icecaps on both poles. Algae and bacteria based lifeforms add to the thin N2 atmosphere with 16% 02 and 0.001% C02. The O2 levels are able to support multi-cellular life. But high metabolic life imported from Earth, such as mammals, require O2 enrichment apparatus or genetic modification to live here long term.

Yet, there is a push by terraforming factions on Kopno to settle Lovitia. Rather than attempt terraforming the atmosphere into something denser, the plan is to import genetically altered colonists and modified Kopno flora and fauna to thrive in the thin air. Nascent plans to settle Loviti envision a multiphased program of re-exploration and establishing communities. Settlers will be genetically enhanced to live on the surface without breathing gear. The genetic knowledge possessed by a First Ship family makes this feasible. Though the radical changes in genetic physiology would effectively make the Lovitians a seperate species.

Loviti currently has no known native, large multi-cellular organisms. The few forays into geological exploration have yielded fossil evidence that shows no Cambrian 'explosion' of complex life that can be seen on complex 'Gaia' worlds. It is believed from geologic evidence that periodic and massive volcanic eruptive phases may have disrupted the native evolution of a complex biosphere on Loviti.

4 - Kopno (land): Axial tilt to orbital plane 14 degrees. Classified as a Gaia world in a developed stage. Earth sized, 6370 km radius, density 5.5g/cm containing a tectonically active terrain with breathable atmosphere of N2 and O2 along with trace gases such as argon and CO2. Water covers three fourths of it's surface. Land and oceans laced with a complex biosphere of flora and fauna. One of the few 'Blue Terran' worlds, and an exomoon at that, within 150 light years of Sol's Earth. Settled by canid hybrids from the Sol system.

Kopno has a strong, stable magnetic field. Orbital period 28 earth days, average orbital radius 4,752,000 km. Rotation 26 earth hours. Surface gravity - approximately Earth, 1G. See Kopno Time And Geology for additional information.

5 - Magla (mist): Axial tilt 17 degrees. Slightly smaller than Kopno, 6100 km radius, density 5.2gm/cm. Gravity on it's ocean surface is 0.9 G. Blanketed by a thick, hostile atmosphere (60 psi at sea level) of mostly N2 and C02 along with a deep, global ocean. With the exception of several sea mount atolls and shallow ocean regions, no major landmass juts above an ocean which can be as deep as 35 kilometers. Climate resembles the 'Wet Venus' of Terran sci-fi fables. With high temperatures approaching 150F degrees at the global ocean's surface. It's global spanning water vapor clouds are highly reflective.

The moon's appearance from Kopno is a disk of cue ball white in color with meandering darker swirls showing off major jet air streams. Like Kopno, Magla has a strong, stable magnetic field which contributed to it's long term atmospheric stability. There is evidence of bacterial life in it's mineral laced watery depths. Orbital period 45 earth days, average orbital radius 6,500,000 km. Rotation 35 earth hours.

Magla and Kopno's orbital inclinations are tilted 2 and 2.5 degrees with respect to Kurjak's equatorial plane. Stene, Pas and Loviti's orbital inclinations lie within 0.25 degrees of the gas giant's equatorial plane. Solar eclipses of Kujrak on Kopno are a combination of lineup between Kurjak's orbital plane, Kopno's orbital plane and the system's sun. When they occur, during Kurjak's spring and fall equinoxes, Kopno's entire planetary dayside can be plunged into totality, which is a maximum of one earth hour to traverse the umbra. And a maximum of 3.5 hours through the entire pre-umbra or eclipse event.

Minor factoids: From Kopno, Kurjak appears to be three times the diameter of Earth's moon, or around 1.68 degrees. To visualize the diameter, hold a US dime at arm's length. At Loviti, Kurjak looms at 2.38 degrees. Or almost a US silver dollar coin held at arm's length. If one has a radiation resistant suit to wear on the tidal locked side of Stene, one can see a massive Kurjak hovering at a stationary point in the sky, nearly 10 degrees wide. (a six inch diameter ball held at arm's length)

As seen from Kopno under favorable skies, the other moons phases depend on their angle with the system's sun and will match the phase of Kurjak as seen from Kopno.

Magla, the outer moon in relation to Kopno, changes greatly in size as it travels through the skies. From Kopno, Magla will be seen as a Venus bright steady point to nearly 3/4 the size of earth's moon (23 arc minutes, .38 degrees ) at it's closest opposition with Kurjak and Kopno.

From the surface of Kopno, Loviti can be as far as 35 degrees of separation from Kurjak. It's apparent size ranges from a very bright star before going behind Kurjak's limb, a barely seen disk at maximum separation and half the size of earth's moon (16 arc minutes, .26 degrees) when crossing in front of Kurjak. Pas and Stene appear as extremely bright stars (brighter than Venus) speeding around Kurjak at a maximum angular separation of 14 and 9 degrees respectively

From Kopno, Pas seems to overtake Kopno every 1.89 earth days. Stene's synodic period to Kopno is 4.06 earth days. Loviti is 42.6 earth days. The Synodic period of Magla with respect to Kopno is 74.1 earth days. Or every 74.1 earth days, Kopno overtakes Magla.

Many ocean and river creatures time their spawning or migratory patterns to Magla's Synodic opposition to Kopno and Kurjak. Female canid settlers have found their own fertility cycles are in sync with Magla's Synodic period as well. Giving rise to fertility myths involving Magla and other stories.

Like wolf cubs, the moons circle around Kurjak who ceaselessly paces through the orbital meadows.