ENCYCLOPEDIA GALACTICA Edition 428193 - Earth English Planet Sapphire: Summary Planet Sapphire is an unofficial Language English1 name for EGO 0602-00911069616: the ninth satellite of EGO 0602-00911069544 - a fourteen (14) Jovian mass 'Y' or brown dwarf informally called 'Freya' - and second life bearing world of 'Freya's Necklace'.2 This moon is a terrestrial-like body with a substantial nitrogen-oxygen atmosphere and salt water oceans which create the deep blue planetary hue.3 By metafore, 'sapphire' classifies this body as a, "Gem of Freya's Necklace" and other common identities keep this theme. There is no official IAU name.4 Rotational period is 127008 sec (1.47 days) and axial tilt 12.1°.5 Orbital path follows a 0.02 eccentricity ellipse, inclined 6.8° with mean radius of 2.68 million (106) km - 8.5 day period. Mass of 1.02 Earths, density 5.7 g/cm3, diameter 12669 km. Interior consists of a semi-molten silicate mantle surrounding a liquid nickel-iron outer core with solid inner core. Sapphire's magnetic field is 7% more intense than that of Earth. The surface consists of three continental and four oceanic plates. They ride on top of the mantle spurring plate tectonics which are breaking up the central continent.6 Oceans of 2.7% salinity cover 59% of the surface. Depth averages 3940m - 8014m max. The southern polar region is subarctic with no permanent ice accumulation. Continental drift has forced ocean currents to circulate through the empty south sea. The result is a southward pull on the tropical zone by as much as twelve (12) degrees. Above sea level, the surface is sharply demarcated with plains and rugged mountainous regions but narrow intermediate landscapes. The lowlands are irrigated by fresh water rivers fed by ocean evaporation precipitated onto inland lakes or glaciers. There are no apparent deserts. The tallest feature measures 4.9km on the central continent. The atmosphere is 69.8% nitrogen, 28.3% oxygen, 1.2% water vapour, 0.5% argon, 0.2% carbon-dioxide and other trace materials. 90% of its mass extends 10km above sea level varying 4% from pole to equator. Surface pressure at sea level averages 104.3kPa. Biology is based on carbon compounds utilizing a five (5) nucleobase dual helix heredity encoding mechanism. Similar to DNA7 structures found on Earth - four (4) genetic letters - but with one letter in the alphabet carried by two different nucleobases. Two helices can represent the same genes yet be slightly different chemically. This is analogous to a written document where one letter occasionally appears in a different colour from other text. In origins this framework was a benign mutation carried by a single class of early microbial life. But subsequently only that class survived a mass extinction prior to the establishment of multicellular forms.8 Biodiversity is estimated at over nine (9) million distinct species - 69% aquatic. Ecology is 98.3% photoconsumptive with thermoconsumptive ecologies existing in volcanic vents above and below sea level.9 Lifeforms include recognizable categories of microbes, fauna and exo/endo-skeletal animals with specialized organs. More evolved species possess a central nervous system and regulated body temperature. There is no evidence of a native technical civilization having evolved. Notes: EGO: Encyclopedia Galactica Object See References: 1Civilization Humanity: Linguistic Types 2Definition: 'Freya's Necklace' 3Civilization Humanity: CIE Colour Chromaticity Table 4Civilization Humanity: International Astronomical Union 5Civilization Humanity: Scientific Standards 6Definitions: Plate Tectonics and Continental Drift 7Definition: 'DNA' 8Event: Planet Sapphire: First Mass Extinction 9Definitions: Photoconsumptive and Thermoconsumptive Ecologies