Xenoplanet - Tumblr Posts
The Green Sky of my Xenoplanet
The original reasoning for making the sky of my Xenoplanet green was so it would contrast against the magenta plants. This worked for me at the time, but now I realize that green is not a natural color for a sky to be, even on an alien planet. The solution to this problem? Sky Plankton!
The atmosphere is filled with photosynthetic microorganisms that have the ability to float in the air.
They do this by having an extremely large (relatively speaking) surface to glide on. They also have a very low mass when compared with other microorganisms due to the small size of their “body”.
Members of this microorganism species tend to be about 120 micrometers long. There is little variation among the species as their balance in the air is extremely delicate. The slightest change can result in them toppling to the surface. Notice how small the body is, taking up almost a sixtieth of the total area. This makes them much less complex than waterborne microorganisms. Also, that is not a nucleus in the center of the organism, as this is a prokaryotic species. Instead it is the one and only photosynthesizing organelle.
To perform cell division the single parent cell begins to thicken its gliding surface and body. It also duplicates its photosynthesizing organelle. Soon after this, the cell will perform mitosis. The cell will horizontally split in the middle, ensuring that both of the daughter cells have a sufficient gliding surface. This process is fairly unreliable and will potentially result in the parent cell or one/both of the daughter cells tumbling to the surface. However, this method is their only option. This species has not gone extinct because the amount of bacteriophages and other predators of the organism are extremely infrequent in open air when compared to water. Because of this, the net reproductive rate is positive.
Thank you for taking the time to read this, I hope you enjoyed it! Also, sorry I disappeared for a bit. Virtual school just started and it has been a rough adjustment. I’m doing okay though, thanks to my glorious friends. How many? Four :) Do they text me often? No :) Ugh, I need to stop whining. Sorry for venting; if you stopped reading here I do not blame you.
Next time I’m planing on creating more flora and fauna for the surface of my planet. I’m very excited to talk more about these microorganisms in the future, especially how they impact the environment of the planet. I think it will be extremely interesting to talk about how the surface organisms respond to the constant “snow” of dead and living sky plankton, which represent a source of energy. However, in the meantime I’m going to focus on smaller stuff (well, not literally). Please feel free to comment. Thank You and Goodbye :)