Alright, crew, don’t crowd the airlock. Today’s mission comes with an exciting opportunity: liberty on a unique planet. Dreth Y8 is a habitable planet only because of its Terminator Zone. This Zone is only five miles wide. No one leaves the ship without a supply of water and thermal clothing.
What is are Terminator Zones?
As described in this Science Daily article about Terminator Zones, some planets always have one side facing its star creating permanent day and night sides. Terminator Zones are rings around a planet acting as the dividing line between the day and night sides. With one side of the planet always in daylight, the surface heats so hot it vaporizes water. Similarly, the night side has temperatures well below freezing, maybe covered in ice. The Terminator Zone exists where the two temperatures meet, regulating the temperatures to habitable levels. In the article, Ana Lobo of the University of California, Irvine, suggests focusing on finding Terminator Zone planets improves the chances of discovering another habitable planet.
Implications for Science Fiction?
Imagine a future where the only colonized planets aside from Earth are Terminator Zone planets. Humans living in cities only miles wide, but as long as the planet’s circumference. In a few minutes, they could go from extreme cold climes to extreme hot.
How does this change society? Are slums located on the edges with the extreme weather? Is wealth measured by how near the center-line you live? Do the wealthy “get away” at vacation homes near the extreme weather? Does anyone venture into the perpetual day or night sides? Could they survive if they did? Do criminals risk the danger to create supply lines for illicit goods?
How does this affect generational memory? Do elders tell stories of places larger than a few miles? Stories of planets where the weather changes over time? Do these extraterrestrial humans understand the concept of north, south, east, and west? After all, they would probably navigate in terms of clockwise, counterclockwise, sun-wards, and night-wards.
Can you think of other implications of living in a Terminator Zone? How does your Imagination Reign?