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| Fossil of one of more complex life forms from Eye of Tara planet, third planet of Tara system |
Tara System
The Tara System has gained fame due to the confirmed presence of extraterrestrial life on one of its planets, which was initially indicated by the detection of chlorophyll. The system received its popular name after the first direct images of this planet were obtained, revealing a snowball-like appearance with a massive blue ocean perpetually facing the parent red dwarf star.
The planet was named Tara after a Hindu goddess known for her blue eyes. The name Tara has various meanings in different cultures, allowing for a global association.
The parent star has approximately one-third the mass of the Sun and is 100 times less bright. The planetary system consists of five planets, with the two closest being hot, lifeless worlds without atmospheres.
The third planet, like Earth in the Solar System, harbors life. The fourth and fifth planets are super-Earths with very thick atmospheres. The fourth planet also contains life - in microbiological for - which was transported there from the third planet via the Panspermia mechanism. This life shares the same genetic basis as that on the third planet and inhabits the upper layers of the atmosphere.
Water in the system
The entire system is encircled by a belt of comets located approximately 3 to 9 billion kilometers from the star. The gravitational forces of the two outer planets can pull comets and other objects from the belt into the inner regions of the system. This process provides the three inner planets with a significant amount of solid-state water on their surfaces.
The two innermost planets have ice only on their dark sides, due to their synchronous (tidaly locked) rotation, which keeps the same hemisphere facing the star. Otherwise, the ice would quickly evaporate when exposed to the star.
The surface of the third planet, known as Eye of Tara, is almost entirely covered by ice, with the remaining portion covered by a deep ocean - the Turquoise Eye. The system is roughly four billion years old, and the parent star has already exited its active, eruptive phase. However, occasional stronger flares can still occur, posing a threat to unsheltered life.
Eye of Tara
Water serves as the primary geological agent on this planet. A massive ice sheet, with its dynamics supported by the flow of underground water, significantly impacts the planet's surface. This has led to fractures in the planet's crust, and water also helps to partially mitigate the substantial temperature differences between both hemispheres.
Currently, approximately 5% of the planet's surface is covered by the ocean, but this coverage fluctuates, sometimes encompassing the entire surface.
The planet's atmosphere displays effects similar to those seen in Earth's atmosphere near the polar circles, such as coronas around the star and neighboring planets, iridescence in clouds, glories, and various halo phenomena.
The ocean features many trenches, some of which are deeper than the deepest trenches on Earth. A vast ecosystem exists beneath the ice in large subglacial lakes and rivers, which also extend to the planet's dark side. One of the more complex lifeforms found here is a cold-water coral-like animal.
Life thrives also on the ice's surface, primarily in the form of algae, either directly on the ice or in temporary surface lakes. Planetary-scale winds transport life closer to the terminator, and heat is conveyed in small amounts to the dark side through winds and subsurface water.
A small portion of the ice is covered by volcanic ash, causing localized melting. Glacier lakes can also be found on the dark side, formed by subsurface water leaks and geysers.
Planets visibility on Eye of Tara
An observer from Earth could see the first two planets as tiny disks during their closest approach to the planet, with a diameter roughly 15 times smaller than the Moon's angle diameter. These planets pass the disk of the star, which appears approximately twice as large as the Sun in Earth's sky.
The two outer planets are also visible from the dark side of the Eye of Tara. During the closest approach, the first outer planet appears half the size of the Moon's diameter, while the second outer planet has an angular diameter 30 times smaller than the Moon, appearing as a bright dot in the sky.
The two outer planets are also visible from the dark side of the Eye of Tara. During the closest approach, the first outer planet appears half the size of the Moon's diameter, while the second outer planet has an angular diameter 30 times smaller than the Moon, appearing as a bright dot in the sky.
Parent star:
Mass: 0,31 of Sun
Radius: 0,29 of Sun
Luminosity: 0,013 of Sun
Temperature: 3480 K
Planets of the system:
A.
Distance: 4,25 mil. Km
Orbital Period: 5,37 days
Radius: 0,81 Earths
B.
Distance: 10,95 mil. Km
Orbital Period: 12,9 days
Radius: 1,01 Earths
C. (Eye of Tara)
Distance: 22 mil. Km
Orbital Period: 36,92 days
Radius: 1,12 Earths
D.
Distance: 32,77 mil. Km
Orbital Period: 66,95 days
Radius: 4 Earths
E.
Distance: 113,7 mil. Km
Orbital Period: 436 days
Radius: 2,3 Earths