All Questions
37,610
questions
1
vote
3
answers
178
views
What injuries can leave permanent damage while allowing someone to move freely/fight?
I want to have a character who used to be the captain of/personal guard for a queen but has to retire due to an injury but I can't find any injury that would leave permenant damage without leaving ...
- 227
16
votes
3
answers
5k
views
What is the largest fraction of Earth's sky that an astronomical object could take up (visually) before ripping Earth or itself apart?
I know the Roche limit limits how close another planet could get to Earth. Closer than that limit, and either it breaks apart or Earth breaks apart.
I don't care what size it is, if it's a super-...
- 1,839
5
votes
7
answers
1k
views
How would an extremely long winter affect an area?
In my world, a specific area of land has been cursed into an eternal winter. The story takes place in a kingdom that is surrounded by deciduous forests similar to ones in north america, and the ...
- 51
5
votes
1
answer
495
views
Where should my currents go?
I'm trying to figure out how to place currents in the green area. There doesn't seem to be anywhere for them to come from, and I seem to have backed myself into a corner with the geography of this ...
- 891
3
votes
3
answers
555
views
How could an alien race convert an Oxygen-Nitrogen atmosphere into a Methane one?
For a story I'm working on, humanity meets an alien race of aggressive methane breathers, whose technology is as much biological as it is mechanical. When they locate a suitable planet for ...
4
votes
2
answers
240
views
Xeno Nucleic acids on an ammonia planet
Background
I am currently building a planet that weighs about 4 earth masses and is 2.3 earth radii long. It is an ammonia planet (as the title suggests), and has ammonia oceans with some dissolved ...
- 1,274
-2
votes
1
answer
105
views
Gravity changes in relation to different sizes of celestial objects
The Problem
I changed the circumference of some of my world's celestial objects. How can I calculate the object's new gravity?
The density of the objects is still the same as it would originally be - ...
- 1,454
3
votes
0
answers
73
views
Roughly how big could the tidal range be on a human habitable Earth analogue world?
The Gravitational tidal forces can be supplied by any orbiting moon(s)/twin planet(s) of any mass and any orbital radius, inclination or orbital radius, but the system must be stable for at least 10,...
- 37.3k
32
votes
25
answers
8k
views
How can the stars be wrong, so that an observer realises they're not in our world anymore?
There is a common trope in fiction: when a character find themselves in a dark place out of this reality (somewhere in the eldritch realms, dreamscapes, lost cities of Carcosa or R'lyeh, etc), at ...
- 439
4
votes
3
answers
128
views
Radiosynthesis using radon?
I have made a few chemosynthetic and photosynthetic organisms as bases of the food chain for my worldbuilding project, and I thought why not make a radiosynthetic one?
Radon forms from the decay of ...
- 1,274
3
votes
1
answer
146
views
How long would it take for an area to be repopulated after experiencing a meteoric impact?
By repopulation, I refer to the time it will take until the geographic conditions in and around the impact structure are tame enough for civilization (this can be small nomadic camps, and need not be ...
- 33
2
votes
1
answer
56
views
Earliest possible time for hydrothermal carbonization
Assuming that some lucky (and very wealthy) alchemist was on the right track, what is the earliest time that the hydrothermal carbonization process can be both discovered and implemented on a large ...
- 4,905
3
votes
4
answers
106
views
How would an underwater race control the breeding for planktonic larvae species?
In order to domesticate wild animals, you must necessarily complete a number of criteria (docility, can't be picky eaters, conforms to a social hierarchy, etc), but above all the most important ...
- 1,115
7
votes
7
answers
2k
views
Would a saber-toothed predator make a good draught animal?
Saber-toothed predators are strong and robust, with a strengthened neck which they use to power killing strikes on their prey. To me, this profile resembles such as oxen, horses, and other such ...
- 16k
-1
votes
1
answer
81
views
How would a galactic scale industry affect local industry or global industry? [closed]
The setting that I am asking about is a massive almost galaxy-spanning country that has an industrial chokehold on all the other nations around it. However, large-scale industry in this setting ...
1
vote
2
answers
117
views
Would a moon that is tidally locked to a gas giant rotate at an axis?
Can a tidally locked moon have an axial tilt and have seasons like Earth?
If not, what if the gas giant was tilted. Would the moon follow its tilt?
- 891
1
vote
2
answers
147
views
Can I have a supercontinent that is wet in its interior?
I recently learned that there was a period in Earth's history called the Carnian pluvial episode, when rainfall was extremely high for about 2 million years, and even the interior of large continents ...
- 891
3
votes
0
answers
54
views
Crustal composition of an ammonia planet
I am currently building a planet that weighs about 4 earth masses and is 2.3 earth radii long. It is an ammonia planet (as the title suggests), and has ammonia oceans with some dissolved water ice, ...
- 1,274
4
votes
1
answer
415
views
What are the tidal implications of The Moon having a moon?
This is my first post. I apologise for any infractions I may have committed, I will try to be better in my next posts.
To clarify, this question is not about if Earth had 'two moons'. This is instead ...
- 93
1
vote
2
answers
135
views
Highly Visible Comet in the Sky
There is a comet in my world which passes my world's version of Earth every 25 years. I'm having difficulty figuring out how to make the comet fit my requirements.
Requirements:
Passes my planet only ...
- 1,454
2
votes
1
answer
215
views
Would a gas giant have a warming effect on the climate of its moons?
On a tidally locked earthlike moon of a gas giant, would the side that faces towards the gas giant be noticeably warmer than the side that faces away? Would the gas giant generate enough heat to have ...
- 891
3
votes
5
answers
182
views
Would things engineered to work on earth work ok in 1.25 times earth gravity? [closed]
A while ago I asked this question about if a planet 1/5th larger than earth could remain earth like. The top answers all seemed to agree that while the planet could be that much larger and still only ...
- 4,426
2
votes
1
answer
90
views
Chlorophyll-alternatives for plants in an Ammonia planet
I am currently building a planet that weighs about 4 earth masses and is 2.3 earth radii long. It is an ammonia planet (as the title suggests), and has ammonia oceans with some dissolved water ice, ...
- 1,274
-1
votes
0
answers
88
views
Can a person hypothetically fly without wings using electromagnetism? [duplicate]
I just realized that I have no scientific reason as to why one of the races on my planet that I am writing can just fly.
No wings or anything they just have the ability to lift off the ground and land ...
2
votes
4
answers
246
views
How plausible is my continent-wide rainforest?
I’m trying to refine the worldbuilding for the planet featured in my story “Aleyara’s Descent” from the May/June 2023 Analog Science Fiction and Fact. The planet is 86% the diameter of Earth with 82% ...
3
votes
1
answer
123
views
How could a Massive Animal Thermoregulate?
In my world, there are massive vertebrate creatures that live on the planet's savannahs and rainforests. Alongside others that live in the frigid south pole and deep in the ocean trenches. I'm ...
1
vote
0
answers
65
views
what deal would a ruler strike with a god of another nation? [closed]
I have a story, where a monarchy of elves fights against an empire of humans because the humans are logging their holy forest.
Inside the empire there is a region populated by a tribe that is fighting ...
- 39
0
votes
2
answers
189
views
Is this an acceptable plan of engagement for a primarily defense orientated nation?
First off thank you to everyone who inputed and helped out in my last post to give me more of a clear idea on how to finalize this concept i have. This is a follow up to that as I figured that it's ...
- 267
3
votes
7
answers
2k
views
Is it possible to use thermal pumping for power generation in space? [closed]
There's this one component that exists in real life that uses the thermoelectric effect to pump heat, basically, by creating a temperature differential using voltage. Is it possible to use this in ...
18
votes
12
answers
3k
views
How could I make literacy universal in a medieval society?
In a society with medieval tech, where the population is largely rural and agricultural, is there any way a majority of people could be literate?
I have a religion that that actively encourages asking ...
- 891
9
votes
16
answers
3k
views
How to prevent super intelligent humans from existing in a world defined by genetic engineering?
In a setting where genetic modifications are common, and genetically designed babies are all the rage, what could possibly prevent people from just... making uber intelligent humans?
I dont want this ...
- 403
5
votes
2
answers
168
views
Feasibility of cold-blooded Livestock
The research I have done recently (searching through Wikipedia) has yielded that generally cold-blooded animals (Ectotherms) are able to survive on less food that their warm-blooded counterparts, and ...
- 1,314
11
votes
10
answers
3k
views
Permanent Full moon via "Magic"
The Problem
I had in mind giving my world a permanent full moon for a long time. Though I generally ran into 2 problems along the way.
Firstly I wanted of course to make it appear as if it was always ...
- 1,454
5
votes
2
answers
86
views
Microorganism chemosynthesis on an Ammonia planet
I am currently building a planet that weighs about 4 earth masses and is 2.3 earth radii long. It is an ammonia planet (as the title suggests), and has ammonia oceans with some dissolved water ice, ...
- 1,274
5
votes
2
answers
86
views
Growth rate of super moss
Following an answer to aprevious question I posted, this world does is filled with moss and lichen fields that make other plant growth (and crop cultivation) impossible.
But after researching mosses ...
- 1,314
1
vote
7
answers
723
views
How can I make a military that largely enlists spell swords viable? [closed]
I really need help trying to get this to work. I'm working on a faction that primarily employs spell swords as their Frontline force.
They have other parts such as artillery, combat medics, and other ...
- 267
6
votes
6
answers
2k
views
Illuminating Minerva?
It would be convenient for both astrophysics and for the plot of the story set in this world if there exists a ninth planet in the Solar System far outside Pluto’s orbit (with appropriate mass, Ap, Pe,...
- 3,324
3
votes
1
answer
118
views
What life would thrive on land which is frequently -- but not always -- doused with seawater?
Take a large piece of normally-dry land and flood it twice a day with seawater. We expect to see seaweed, crabs, and the like set up an ecosystem.
The flooding is tens of metres deep, and turbulent, ...
- 2,209
6
votes
6
answers
3k
views
Could a society with medieval technology discover all the planets in the solar system?
Could you have a telescope advanced enough to see a planet as far away as Neptune is from Earth, in a civilization with a tech level equivalent to 1100 AD? Would it be possible to discover all the ...
- 891
4
votes
1
answer
54
views
What should be characteristics of orbit of planet with sustainable climate if north is covered by ocean and southern by desert?
Planet Artemis depicted at my pictures has totally different characteristics of northern and southern hemisphere. Northern hemisphere is covered mainly by ocean, southern by desert (except two seas, ...
- 109
3
votes
0
answers
154
views
Implications of a flat earth [closed]
I’m interested in exploring the implications of a flat earth with a sun much smaller and closer to the earth than our Sun, and which moves from east to west each day. Gravity just pulls down; it’s not ...
- 465
2
votes
2
answers
133
views
Can you have a moon that rotates 21 times per orbit?
I want to avoid having my earthlike moon of a gas giant be tidally locked. Now I know that 3:2 or even 5:2 resonance is possible, but what about 21:1 for my moon? Is that too many rotations per orbit ...
- 891
4
votes
1
answer
131
views
The rebirth of a language from a group of mute people
I am toying around with a corner case of a well explored scenario: post apocalyptic world human re-population.
The added complication this time is that the group of survivors, by a sheer strike of ...
- 287k
1
vote
1
answer
162
views
What settings would you need for a useful nanotech horse?
In a future society, nanotech and super science has made a thing called horse bags. You buy a bag from the store, stuff some dirt in there, and a few hours later a trained horse comes out. You can ...
- 38.9k
10
votes
2
answers
3k
views
Edible Dinosaur meat
What would it take to have edible non-therapod dinosaur meat in a world where humans and dinosaurs have coexist since human civilization? Or would the human body or creativity find a way to eat ...
- 701
7
votes
9
answers
2k
views
Building a fictional city on a deserted island from scratch
I am writing a fantasy story in a fantasy world and I have a question about the development of cities. One of the major kingdoms in that world decides to build a city on a newly discovered deserted ...
- 127
1
vote
1
answer
68
views
Green-appearing sun atmosphere composition
What would the composition of a planetary atmosphere would cause a sun to appear green (i.e. green sunlight) for most of the day? I don't mean a green sky, as similar questions have asked. If there ...
- 111
4
votes
2
answers
117
views
Could a planet composed of 70% heavy metals by mass have a plate tectonics?
It would have to be much hotter to sustain any kind of magnetosphere yes, but assuming that it could, with the remaining 30% to play around with for other kinds of elements, and the 70% heavy metal ...
- 81
0
votes
3
answers
427
views
Avoiding a cataclysmic meteor shower
With what is available, with means of transportation or method, what would be best strategy to stay on the opposite side of the Earth during a cataclysmic meteor shower that may last for days?
- 177
-1
votes
2
answers
103
views
What could go wrong as a consequence of terraforming a planet? [closed]
For my money, human beings manage to do very few things, especially really big life-altering things, without there being "unintended consequences". What could be some of the unintended ...
