Tau Ceti (world)
World information sheet
Star system | Tau Ceti | world | III | colony | Tau Ceti |
---|
Astronomy | ||
---|---|---|
class of primary | G8.5 V | |
apparent size | 0.64° | |
mean distance | 0.68 a.u. | |
perihelion | 0.67 a.u. | |
aphelion | 0.69 a.u. | |
axial tilt | 7° | |
annual period | 0.58 years 119.3 local days |
|
local day | 42.6 hours | |
Geology | ||
diameter | 11 098 km 0.87 x Earth's |
|
density | 5.0 g.cm-3 0.9 x Earth's |
|
surface gravity | 7.7 m.s-2 0.79 gee |
|
escape velocity | 9.3 km.s-1 | |
period of low orbit | 93 minutes | |
vulcanism | none | |
tectonics | none | |
Climate | ||
visible illumination | 100% Earth's | |
temperature | 9 C (cool) | |
daily temp. var. | ± 9 C | |
seasonality | 0.2 x Earth's | |
windiness | 0.7 x Earth's | |
Oceans | ||
coverage | 84% | |
composition | water | |
tidal range | 1.7 m 1.1 x Earth's |
|
Atmosphere | ||
main gases | N2, O2 | |
traces &c. | ||
pressure | 0.64 bar | |
oxygen | 0.19 bar (30%) | |
class | breathable | |
half height | 6.81 km | |
boiling point | 88 C | |
Interstellar | ||
spaceport | Scale 5 elevator |
|
nearest neighbour | Hijra | |
distance | 19.1 LY | |
sector | Central | |
SHQ | Old Earth | |
distance | 11.9 LY | |
Population | ||
habitability | 74% | |
carrying capacity | 5.98 E+9 | |
population | 5.91 E+9 | |
population density | 96 p.km-2 | |
settlement structure | Megasprawl cities |
Glossaries & keys
Society | ||
---|---|---|
diversity | conformist | |
structure | interest associations | |
household type | nuclear | |
kinship system | bilateral | |
gender authority | equal | |
sex roles | equivalent | |
stratification | Subdued; favouring the old and a very few rich. | |
social mobility | Difficult, non-wage income being heavily taxed. | |
customs | Clothing: costume marks profession and social mode and varies with time of day. | |
values | Equality. Appropriate accomplishment. “Education” (meaning vocational training). |
|
taboos | Tall poppy syndrome: excessive effort, achievement, or consumption is resented. Slacking. |
|
peculiarities | The young are workers, receiving wage subsidies to 75; the old are rentiers, drawing on superannuation funds after 75. The lifestyle of the wealthy is very discreet and inconspicuous. |
|
manner | Serious and reserved | |
problems & current issues | ||
Government | ||
world unity | Alliance | |
name | none acknowledged | |
type | technocratic | |
succession | meritocratic | |
structure | bureaucracy | |
head of state | none | |
chief executive | none | |
features | Treaties require that the colonies "harmonise" their policy and laws. Inter-government working groups of bureaucrats harmonise policy and legislative proposals. Colonies have figurehead parliaments. |
|
Law & Enforcement | ||
source | Statute | |
legislature | Plebiscite | |
enforcement | gendarmie and independent detectives | |
powers & resources | 9/10 | |
judgement | expert jurors | |
procedure | inquisitorial | |
protections | basic (4/10) | |
penalties | mindwipe | for murder, rape |
reconstruction | for lesser felonies | |
onerous service | for minor crimes | |
peculiar laws | Lethal weapons drastically restricted. Private powered vehicles are restricted. |
|
corruption | 12% (very clean) | |
Economy | ||
industrial organisation | Social democracy with wage subsidies | |
development level | 8.5 | |
currency | 1 écu = 0.377 SVU | |
real exchange rate | 1 Cr/SVU | |
nominal GDP | 3.4 E+14 Cr | |
nominal GDP/head | 58 000 Cr | |
real GDP/head | 58 000 SVU | |
inequality | 0.259 |
Celestial objects | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
class | size (°) | size (full moons) | period (hours) | tides (m) | ||
sun | G8.5 V | 0.64 | 1.16 | 42.6 | 1.69 | |
Places
Constituent colonies
Avalon
New Sunrise
San Pietro
Ys
Gogmagog
Hell
Zinfandel
Alcuin
Major cities
Sights, wonders, and monuments
- Missahan Historic Preserve where the first colonists ever landed
- Thundering Veil Nature Park
Remarks
- Tau Ceti was the first colony established from Old Earth, the first to found a university, the first to attract mainstream migrants. It was long the most populous, is still at least equally the most technologically advanced and richest. Tau Cetians consider it to be the most urbane and sophisticated.
- There are eight colonies on Tau Ceti: Avallon, New Sunrise, San Pietro, Ys, Gogmagog, Hell, Zinfandel, and Alcuin. De jure they remain separate sovereign entities, and insist vehemently on separate representation in the Imperial Senate. There are no global institutions on Tau Ceti other than the Space Traffic Control Authority and the International Court of Arbitration (which settles disputes arising under treaties). The colonies do not allow that there is a government of Tau Ceti, nor a coalition, nor a union. There are just eight very sensible government that play nicely together, consult often at all levels, an co-operate at the dictates of common sense.
- In practice the laws and policies of the Eight Colonies are closely harmonised by “inter-governmental working parties” of bureaucrats. By steering the legislation put to plebiscites, these have managed to reduce the nominally sovereign parliaments of the colonies to irrelevance.
- Nine centuries of un-interrupted high-tech communications and transport on Tau Ceti have meant that any cultural differences that might have been established in Tau Ceti's early days are long since erased. Tau Cetian culture is geographically uniform: its fashions and subcultures extend to all eight colonies.
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Copyright © 2013 by Brett Evill
page revision: 86, last edited: 16 Oct 2015 21:24