Yesterday I arrived at the borders of Froadik and met up with CMDR Anuranium. CMDR Anuranium had been on the border for a day or two and already found an undiscovered Earth-like World less than 100LY from the nearest Froadik system and in our explorations together last night also found a 'green' system and a life-bearing gas giant in an eccentric orbit. We also scanned a large icy landable together - so there will hopefully be a few joint first discoveries from our being winged up. This fine arrangement will continue for another day, hopefully, after which we shall go our separate ways for the time being.
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This region has probably seen more traffic than the borders of Bovomit or Sidgoir but the star density is much higher, so perhaps proportionally fewer systems bear tags. It was good to see one or two familiar names. There is no sign of non-human spacefaring activity so far. I will continue to keep an eye out for suitable environments for surface life and volcanism.
After spending a couple of evenings surveying the Froadik border with CMDR Anuranium, he has departed to continue his own journey. Thank you for joining me CMDR! o7. I have remained on the Froadik border up until now, as I was keen to find another Ammonia World - the only one I had found nearby on this expedition was over 350 Kls away from the jump-in point and I wanted to find one more amenable to frequent visiting in future.
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I had a long wait to find another Ammonia World but it was worth it. The system I eventually found one in also contains an Earth-like World and is less than 12 LY from the nearest Froadik system, making a potentially important system in future for diplomacy, trade, research or tourism. There is also a metallic asteroid belt, a terraformable HMC planet, a water world (not terraformable) and a gas giant hosting Ammonia-based life. It is almost a 'green' system as well but lacks Polonium. Quite a find!
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Being patient and persistent certainly produces benefits sometimes and it is not only this one system that I will have to write up when I make the full report (where I will give more precise details as usual). The total haul of Earth-like Worlds close to the Froadik border is now six, along with two Ammonia Worlds, six 'green' systems and there is also one landable world that is a candidate for terraforming. One of the other Earth-like Worlds is located in a 'green' system. There are a few other highlights as well, including some eccentric orbits, large landables and large ring systems.
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I shall next move about 1 KLY away from the border to scout for a suitable 'Forward Base', after which I shall probably call at Colonia and sell some of this data. I want to give CMDR Anuranium a chance to sell the data first for one of the Earth-like worlds and there is another that we scanned whilst winged up and it would be good to see both of our names on that one, so I might not sell all of my data at once. Alternatively, I could call at Colonia after visiting Hyponia; I have not made up my mind for certain yet.
No spacefaring activity was observed anywhere in this region.
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A number of planetary approaches were made that yielded a single 'blue circle' POI but none could be visually located and remain unidentified: it is likely that these were clusters of outcrops, although small fragments of scattered wreckage (smaller than a SRV) might have been difficult to detect in some cases.
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Attempting to hyperspace to any system in FROADIK (the sector name is capitalised on the Galaxy Map) gives the message 'Unable to hyperspace to this system.'. The closest I was able to get was 2.50 LY, the distance between Blooe Eaescs SP-A a27-0 and FROADIK JX-J d9-26.
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Forward Base
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Unlike the previous surveys, the Forward Base region was scouted after the border region and this subtly influenced the location that was chosen. The Forward Base is more favourable to approach from Colonia than from the bubble but it is still a shorter journey than to the border. Chance was the biggest deciding factor, however - I encountered a system with both an Earth-like World and an Ammonia World on my way out from the border and decided that this would be the ideal system for it: Froagh YJ-A d32 (distance from Sidgoir 'Forward Base' Preou Thoe GF-R d4-10 is 17,149.52 LY). The region immediately around this system has few systems with gas giants and proportionally more terrestrial worlds; with fewer landable moons around as a result, there are fewer 'green' systems close by. Indeed, there is another system with an Earth-like World that lies closer to the Forward Base than any of the 'green' systems: Froagh YJ-A d43 is just 25.18 LY away (this Earth-like World, planet 3, has a landable moon with Yttrium 1.2%, which is useful given the relative scarcity of 'green' systems nearby). Four 'green' systems were eventually located within 75 LY, the closest being Froagh WO-Y b1-1, where a single gas giant's moons have all the material needed for FSD boosting between them.
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Few other features of interest were found close to the Forward Base but several landable worlds with volcanism and surface temperatures in the 200K-500K range were discovered, these being the conditions where 'brain trees' or other life have been found elsewhere. A number of planetary approaches were made but no more than single blue circles were found and the sources could not be identified. On approach to one such very small world, Froagh WO-Y b1-0 A 1a, the Pierre Aronnax sustained minor hull and module damage due to unexpectedly approaching faster than the safe speed. The body concerned had a radius of just over 400 km and was an odd shape - despite aiming for a shallow glide and not seeing red 'hatching' the orbital cruise zone was so small that the ship did not slow down quickly enough. It was a basic error resulting from a lack of practice at approaching such small bodies. It is precisely the failure to find anything that repeatedly discourages me from attempting landings, however, and the 'disappearing blue circle' mechanic is infuriating; nevertheless I persevered and continued to make attempts to approach this and other worlds with appropriate surface conditions for life. I failed to find either volcanism or life but at least I was rewarded with some splendid views on Froagh BA-Z c4 C 2, with a mountain 12-14km tall at about 62.9 / -60.08 (this planet is also the richest source of Polonium that I found in the Forward Base region, with 0.7% abundance; Niobium and Arsenic can also be found there). The other worlds with potentially life-bearing conditions were Froagh YJ-A d46 1 and Froagh YJ-Y b1-1 B 1.
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Border Zone
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The reason the survey began in the border region was due to meeting up with CMDR Anuranium, whose assistance in surveying the border proved to be very helpful - before I had even arrived, he had found one system with an Earth-like World less than 100 LY from the border and together we winged up and found another closer in, just under 50 LY from the nearest Froadik system, which should hopefully bear both our names as tags in future. For now, in order to preserve our joint efforts, I would like to wait until we have both sold the data on this system before revealing it and I would also like to give CMDR Anuranium a chance to sell the data on the Earth-like found before I arrived.(Locations now added to summary below).
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The region close to the border turned out to be unexpectedly rich in water worlds and hopefully a few of these will also bear joint tags in the future. Six 'green' systems were located, one being the same as that with the Earth-like World we winged up to scan. The greatest abundance of Polonium found was 1.0% on Byae Phlai GW-E d11-5 A2 and this system is also green. A particularly useful 'green' system was found with all the materials extremely close to the jump-in point: Grie Hypooe IV-N c23-3 has two binary pairs of planets within 15 ls of the star and the materials needed for FSD boosting can all be found between them, on planets 2, 3 and 4 with planet 2 also being very rich in Yttrium, at 2.1% abundance.
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Although no Ammonia Worlds were jointly discovered with CMDR Anuranium, three were ultimately found. One of these is in the same system as an Earth-like World, Ploadaea OG-Y d11, and this is also the closest Earth-like World found to the Froadik region, being just 11.98 LY from Froadik AQ-N d7-13. A total haul of six Earth-like Worlds close to the border reflects the abundance of water worlds in this region and represents a significant potential for future colonisation. Ploadaea IE-T c3-13 2 is the most strategically well-positioned of these systems, being about 90-120 LY from three other systems with Earth-like Worlds and is itself only 16.99 LY from the nearest Froadik system, Froadik BR-Z c15-10. One landable world that is a candidate for terraforming was also found: Ploadaea QR-W d1-46 2, which is also a source of Yttrium (1.3%), Niobium (1.5%) and Germanium (4.5%).
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One other noteworthy finding made by CMDR Anuranium was that of a life-bearing gas giant in a very eccentric orbit: Byae Phlai ZQ-A b41-0 B 3 has an eccentricity of 0.6360. Whilst there are certainly worlds out there with much higher eccentricities, this is a harsh set of conditions for life to be sustained. The most eccentric orbit encountered in the region, however, was for a high metal content world, Grie Hypooe GY-F d12-38 2, with an eccentricity of 0.9013. This planet also has a highly-inclined orbit and exists in a strange system with only two planets - perhaps some disruption in its past: I do wonder whether there are planets being ejected into deep space never to return from some of these systems but whether the Stellar Forge tracks them is unknown, so far as I know. One large landable was jointly scanned: Byae Phlai FW-E d11-37 A 4 has a radius of 18,545 km and is also in a highly inclined orbit. After CMDR Anuranium's departure, another large landable was found that is only marginally larger: Ploadaea TV-Y c4 A 3 has a radius of 18,613 km - and its orbit is also steeply-inclined, though to a lesser extent.
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A large ring system that was too faint to be visible was found around Byae Phlai VE-G c24-2 2, which has a B Ring with an inner radius of just under 0.5 million km and an outer radius of almost 3.17 million km. Also too faint to be observed was the B ring of Ploadaea ML-Y d8 11, with a width of just over 1.5 million km and an outer radius of about 2.06 million km. The largest ring system found near the border was much larger than either of these: Ploadaea GY-U c2-10 6 has only a single ring but it extends from 521,037 km out to 8,336,595 km, requiring a careful approach as it is too faint to be seen and with a single moon orbiting inside the ring and one outside in a highly inclined orbit.
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One noteworthy planetary landing was made on Blooe Eaescs SO-X d2-34 4 a: the moon is fairly unexceptional but for the fact that, as the innermost moon of a gas giant it spends some time in eclipse each orbit. This results in surface conditions with extensive mist around the time of eclipse and some spectacular scenery. There was no chance of seeing any signs of volcanism by eye, however!
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The existence of a black hole not far from the Froadik border is worth a quick mention: Ploadaea BA-A g2 has already been tagged but is unusually young for a black hole system, being just 4 million years old. It is worth adding here that a number of tags were found close to the border, in particular from members of the 'Endless Worlds Expedition'. Their mission is similar to that of the Pierre Aronnax - visiting the borders of permit-locked regions - but with some extra waypoints in between. Best wishes to them on their journey - fly safe! o7
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Summary
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Forward Base
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Forward Base centre: Earth-like World Froagh YJ-A d32 4 (625.30 LY from Froadik GW-M b24-0)
Other Earth-like Worlds: Froagh YJ-A d43 3
Ammonia World: Froagh YJ-A d32 5
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Green systems (distance from centre, LY): Froagh ZE-Z c4 (38.70): ABC1 (Cd 1.6%, V 5.2%); ABC4 (Po 0.5%, Ge 3.4%, V 4.0%); ABC5 (Po 0.5%, Nb 1.2%, As 1.6%); D2 (Y 1.1%, V 4.7% caution: 22 Kls supercruise journey) Froagh BA-Z c4 (74.18): A1a (As 2.5%, V 4.8%); A1b (Cd 1.4%, Ge 5.3%); A1c (Y 1.2%, Nb 1.3%, Ge 5.6%); C2 (Po 0.7%, Nb 1.7%, As 2.3%); BC3a (Po 0.3%, Nb 0.8%, V 3.0%, Ge 3.5%) Froagh CA-Y b1-0 (65.23): 1 (Ge 3.4%); 3 (Y 1.1%, Cd 1.4%, As 1.7%); 4 (As 1.8%, V 4.7%); 7 (Y 0.9%, Nb 1.1%); 8 (Po 0.5%, Cd 1.3%) Froagh WO-Y b1-1 (31.61): 3a (Nb 0.8%, Ge 3.5%); 3b (Po 0.3%, Cd 0.9%); 3c (As 1.6%); 3d (Y 0.7%, Cd 0.9%, Ge 3.5%); 3e (Cd 0.9%, V 2.9%)
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Border
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Earth-like Worlds (distance from nearest Froadik system, LY, Froadik system identified as closest neighbour): Byae Phlai PY-Q c18-5 A3 Byae Phlai LC-D d12-49 9 (also 'green', see below) Ploadaea QR-W d1-12 6 (71.49, Froadik VP-B c15-8) Ploadaea IE-T c3-13 2 (16.99, Froadik BR-Z c15-10) Ploadaea RB-O c6-1 A 1 (13.93, Froadik PD-5 e4-7) Ploadaea OG-Y d11 2 (11.98, Froadik AQ-N d7-13)
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Ammonia Worlds: Byae Phlai PI-B d13-1 C 4 (350 Kls supercruise journey) Ploadaea OG-Y d11 4 Ploadaea QR-W d1-45 B 3
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Green systems: Byae Phlai AR-A b41-0: 1 (Y 1.4%, V 5.6%); 3 (Cd 1.6%); 5 (Po 0.6%, Nb 1.5%, As 2.1%, V 5.5%); 7 (Nb 1.2%, Cd 1.3%, Ge 3.5%, V 4.1%) Grie Hypooe GO-P a101-2: 1 (Y 1.0%, Nb 1.1%, Cd 1.3%, As 1.5%); 4 (Y 0.9%, Nb 1.1%, V 3.8%); 5 (Y 1.0%, As 1.6%, Ge 3.5%); 8 (Po 0.5%) Byae Phlai GW-E d11-5: A2 (Po 1.0%, V 8.1%); A5 (Nb 1.6%, As 2.1%, V 5.6%); B5 (Y 1.3%, Cd 1.7%, Ge 4.7%, V 5.4%) Byae Phlai LC-D d12-49: 4 (Cd 1.6%); 5 (Y 1.4%, Nb 1.6%, Ge 5.0%); 5a (Po 0.6%, Nb 1.4%, As 2.5%, V 5.1%) Grie Hypooe IV-N c23-3: 2 (Y 2.1%, Nb 2.4%, Cd 2.8%); 3 (Po 0.7%, Cd 1.9%, As 2.2%, Ge 5.0%); 4 (Y 1.3%, Cd 1.7%, V 5.4%) Ploadaea TV-Y c4: A1 (Cd 1.8%, Ge 4.8%, V 5.6%); A2 (Y 1.3%, Ge 4.6%); BCD1 (Po 0.7%, As 2.2%, Ge 4.9%); BCD2 (Nb 1.5%, V 5.4%)
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Landable candidate for terraforming: Ploadaea QR-W d1-46 2 (Y 1.3%, Nb 1.5%, Ge 4.5%)
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General Comments
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Many thanks once again to CMDR Anuranium for meeting up with me and helping to survey the Froadik border! o7
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Two features of note near the border were the abundance of water worlds and the presence of first discovery tags from a number of other CMDRs. It was surprising that none of the Earth-like or Ammonia Worlds had been tagged but the section of the border that was most heavily surveyed was devoid of tags, perhaps due to distance from the Galactic Plane. There is a general tendency for the brightest stars to be tagged in all parts of the Galaxy and especially systems of 'mass code' e or higher - of course it might simply be that the data has not been sold yet.
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The relative scarcity of jumponium resources around the Forward Base should not be a significant impediment to future devlopment - the resources do exist nearby but many systems lack just one material to be 'green'. The lack of gas giants makes finding mining resources more difficult and that is likely to be a bigger problem, however asteroid belt clusters were common so this may also help to alleviate, or at least mitigate, the problem.
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The discovery of two systems harbouring both an Earth-like World and an Ammonia World presents interesting possibilities for future trade, diplomacy, research and tourism in the region. Coupled with the numerous Earth-like Worlds discovered nearby, the prospects for colonisation of the borders of the Froadik region are promising. Whether that will be welcome, or cause problems, however, only time will tell...
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Minor Points of Interest
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large icy landable in a highly inclined orbit: Byae Phlai FW-E d11-37 A 4 (radius = 18,545 km)
large icy landable in an inclined orbit: Ploadaea TV-Y c4 A 3 (radius = 18,613 km)
class III gas giant with a large ring system: Byae Phlai VE-G c24-2 2 (B ring inner radius = 498,786 km, outer radius = 3,167,093 km)
icy world with a large ring system: Ploadaea ML-Y d8 11 (B ring inner radius = 514,957 km, outer radius = 2,059,827 km)
class I gas giant with very large ring system: Ploadaea GY-U c2-10 6 (A ring inner radius = 521,037 km, outer radius = 8,336,595 km)
gas giant with water-based life in an eccentric orbit: Byae Phlai ZQ-A b41-0 B 3 (eccentricity = 0.6360)
high metal content planet in a highly-eccentric and inclined orbit: Grie Hypooe GY-F d12-38 2 (eccentricity = 0.9013, inclination = 123.06 degrees)
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Gallery
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The Gjallarhorn and the Pierre Aronnax did some exploring together near the Froadik border.
The Pierre Aronnax landed near this eerie crater whilst the moon was eclipsed by its parent gas giant (Blooe Eaescs SO-X d2-34 4 a, approximately 47.8 / -42.6).
This mountain is about 12-14km tall and stands out from the surface of this planet, giving splendid views towards the Galactic Core.
The Pierre Aronnax has now docked and repaired in the Colonia region and sold all the data gathered since visiting the asteroid base in the Soul Nebula (except for one system with an Earth-like World near the Froadik border, that was first visited by CMDR Anuranium). The decision to visit Colonia has already proven worthwhile with numerous interesting findings en route. Even just going by the numbers, it was a stunning series of finds: six Earth-like Worlds in five systems; eight Ammonia Worlds and a previously undiscovered nebula centred on a black hole.
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In heading for Colonia from the Froadik borders I stayed above the Galactic Plane at first and as I approached The Festival Grounds, I decided to visit the Golden Chalice Nebula, as this was closest to my path. This was where the interesting finds began. Firstly there were two Earth-like Worlds in Oephaivsky sector, of which the second, Oephaivsky WI-K d8-1350 5 is in an unusual trinary configuration with a Y dwarf and a gas giant with water-based life, both of which have rings providing impressive views when seen from the Earth-like World close by. This system is only a couple of hundred light-years from the Golden Chalice Nebula as well: the sky is never dull on this world! This system is also 'green' between worlds 3c (Y 1.1%, Cd 1.4%, Ge 5.3%), 4b (Po 0.5%, Nb 1.3%, V 4.6%) and 7d (As 2.4%, Nb 1.3%) and has four moons with volcanism and surface temperatures in the 200-500K range (1a, 3a, 3ca and 3da).
Oephaivsky AK-Y c14-23 1 crescent with Golden Chalice Nebula in the background.
Oephaivsky WI-K d8-1350 5 has an interesting sky in every direction being only a couple of hundred light-years from the Golden Chalice Nebula and co-orbiting with a ringed Y dwarf and a ringed gas giant with water-based life.
The Golden Chalice Nebula has acquired a few first discovery tags since I was last here but I was surprised to see many systems lacking them, even at the heart of the nebula. I made an approach of a moon with volcanism, Oephaif UG-U c16-922 4 a, but failed to find any sign of the silicate vapour geysers in the system map description and was hit by a spontaneous reboot of my laptop, after which an intermittent skybox rendering glitch reappeared. Thankfully I had already taken a couple of screenshots here, this moon orbiting very close to the ring system of its parent gas giant and having the impressive sky of the surrounding nebula, with other nebulae visible through the haze. I had already made a note to visit another small nebula that I had seen about 1.2 KLY away whilst perusing the Galaxy Map and decided not to let the glitch put me off, even though I expected it to have been tagged already. On the way there I encountered an Ammonia World orbiting a L-type dwarf: Bya Ail AJ-U a113-0 A 1 has an orbital period of 45.7 days and a semi-major axis of 0.14 AU. I'm not sure if I've encountered this arrangement before but if I have it must only have been once or twice and a very long time ago. The nebula that I was aiming for was still being drawn, as the glitch affects the sky in the direction of the Galactic Core and I was approaching from the other direction, and is very small - the image below is taken from only 4.14 LY away. This nebula is referred to as Bya Ail ZE-R e4-170 Nebula on the Galaxy Map and is a blue-purple colour with discernable rings within. It is centred on a black hole with a companion F-type star and no other bodies are present in the system - and both of these bodies were untagged. I scanned the black hole only. A good name for this nebula, in keeping with its location amidst The Festival Grounds, would be 'The Wishing Well Nebula', which I shall propose to the Galactic Mapping Project. Just be careful to toss only coins into this well and not your ship! It has certainly granted me a bit of luck, judging by the systems I encountered subsequently!
A view from within the Golden Chalice Nebula, close to the surface of Oephaif UG-U c16-922 4 a.
The 'Wishing Well Nebula' (Bya Ail ZE-R e4-170 Nebula) showing gorgeous blue-purple colours both inside and out.
The next Earth-like World I encountered, Grea Eaescs UP-D d13-2247 9 is noteworthy for being in a system with many candidates for terraforming, including a binary pair of landable terraformables. This is now my highest-value system since the increase in exploration payouts, worth almost 3.3 million credits before first-discovery bonuses and just under five million with them applied. In total, approximately 350 million credits worth of data was sold at several different locations in Colonia and this one system accounts for more than 1% of that total.
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Then came one of those special systems. Eephaills YF-W d2-93 has two Earth-like Worlds: A5 and B2. The A5 Earth-like is the outermost planet of its parent star, is in a binary configuration with a ringed gas giant and itself possess a ring system. That would be interesting enough - but it is not alone! Planet B2, almost a quarter of a million light-seconds away, is also an Earth-like World! Both planets have extensive oceans with small, distributed continents and archipelagos and have relatively high gravity (1.44g for A5 and 0.95g for B2) and have comfortable surface temperatures, although B2 has large ice caps and a thicker atmosphere. Two of the moons orbiting planets around the primary star have volcanism and surface temperatures in the 200-500K range, including the only moon of the gas giant companion of the ringed Earth-like. By a strange coincidence, the very first ringed Earth-like World I ever discovered is in the same sector, albeit closer to the Wind Chime Nebula (Eephaills NM-C d4783 5).
The crescent of Eephaills YF-W d2-93 A 5.
The system view - two Earth-like Worlds in the same system but orbiting different stars.
Several minor finds of interest are worth a quick mention, that I encountered before reaching Colonia. One is a system with seven barycetric stars: Mylaifaa AU-Z d634. There are half a dozen terrestrial worlds here as well, mostly around the primary star, but I left them unscanned, for now. The second was an unusually large ring system around a water giant: Dryooe Flyou IY-Q d5-137 AB 11 has only one ring (icy), too faint to be seen, that extends from 936,620 km to 23,788,658 km. This water giant also has three moons, one of which is a ringed gas giant with three moons of its own. These rings are not record-breaking but they are not far off (the current record is about 24.6 million km wide for a water giant). Another large ring system was found around Grea Eaescs ES-H d11-1599 7, a class IV gas giant, which has a C ring with an outer radius of just over 6.4 million km and a width of just under 5 million km; unusually, each ring is of a different type: the A ring is metallic, the B ring is rocky and the C ring is metal-rich. A ringed Ammonia World with some potentially scenic views (sadly spoiled by the glitch mentioned above) was found in Eol Prou sector as I closed in on Colonia: Eol Prou UD-B d487 10 and, finally, I encountered one more Earth-like before I arrived, Eol Prou ZJ-Z d233 A 7 (less than 360 LY from Colonia) which has an unusually thick atmosphere with a surface pressure of 4.11 bar and a relatively short diurnal cycle of 0.6 days. There are three terraformable water worlds in the same system, so this was also a very valuable system.
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Now that I am in Colonia, I have a short list of volcanic sites I want to visit to see how easy they are to spot, both in-flight and from the SRV. Colonia seems to be having a spot of conflict right now, so I might also help to resolve that. I shall probably stay here a few days and move on towards Hyponia next week. I may consider getting a hull repair limpet controller if I can find one - once I set out, I do not expect to have a chance to dock anywhere again until the expedition is almost complete.
After a few days in Colonia, the Pierre Aronnax is now under way again and on course for Hyponia. She has visited several known volcanic sites in and around the Colonia system and also spent a short amount of time helping the Colonia Council out in their conflict against the Nameless. Her jump range has been slightly reduced by the acquisition of a repair limpet controller but at 25.03 LY this should not make much of a difference for the remainder of the expedition. No limpets are stowed on board but these can be constructed from common materials. I failed to find any Basic Conductors for heat sink synthesis but two launchers' worth should be adequate.
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Colonia has enough inhabited systems and stations for it to very strongly resemble the bubble. The variety of stations and mission destinations differs significantly, with a shortage in particular of space stations with large landing pads. Of course, there are no Engineers, Power Play and various others things... nevertheless, I feel strangely relieved to be on the move again. Whilst I was there I transferred my Asp Explorer, Lukushiyon, which is a veteran of the Distant Worlds Expedition, to the region. If I come back here, she will be very good as a multi-role mission runner.
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It is over 14 KLY from Colonia to Hyponia and I am hoping to arrive there in a few days. There are some nebulae in between but I am keen to press on and resume the business of the expedition. There will be opportunities to visit nebulae near Bleia, with the Magnus Nebula and the Tailfire Nebula being close to that region.
The Pierre Aronnax visits some fumaroles at Colonia 3 c a.
I have now reached the borders of Hyponia, having been in the mood to push on as fast as I could, doing almost no scanning on the journey. One milestone of personal interest was passed during the journey - I reached the 1.5 million LY mark, in what turned out to be my 48,000 th system. The system was unexceptional, with only a single gas giant with one moon around the primary star and very distant secondary stars with several more gas giants.
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So far I have found one green system here, about 1 KLY from the nearest Hyponia system, and it has numerous moons with volcanism so I may make some attempts to find active volcanism, drawing on my recent experiences in Colonia to help me to recognise the signs to look for.
Once again I have been fortunate to find an Earth-like World quickly in the 'Forward Base' region near a permit-locked zone. The Forward Base system I have found here is just under 1KLY from the nearest Hyponia system and has several green systems within about 30 LY, including its closest neighbour just over 2 LY away. There is also an Ammonia World in a system about 30 LY away. I made some attempts to find volcanism on a couple of small moons but without success.
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Having found a suitable Forward Base I have now moved on to the borders of Hyponia. The star density here is surprisingly high but M dwarfs dominate. There are still some hot B stars around and there are a couple of neutron stars just inside the Hyponia borders. I have just found my first Earth-like World on the borders, around a L-type star that is the secondary star in its system, so it came as quite a surprise. There is also a green system very close by.
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The Hyponia borders have been the target of multiple survey expeditions before but I have yet to see any first discovery tags - a reflection of the star density. It would be a mammoth task to fully survey these borders in the way that the FGE did for Regor Sector. It would be easy enough for outposts on planetary surfaces - or even in orbit and visible from anywhere in-system - to be hidden away amongst the red and brown dwarf star systems out here. I will not even be able to scratch the surface with my own survey, so I will find a few more green systems and one or two Ammonia Worlds and then move on to Bleia.
Hyponia is now disappearing quickly into the distance behind me as I make my way towards Bleia as fast as I can, in order to meet up with CMDR Gibbonici for joint exploration of the borders of that region, sometimes known as the 'Thargoid Wall'. Hyponia is about 25-26 KLY from Bleia and it will take me several days or more to cover that distance at best speed, not stopping to scan. As a result, I am not going to have the time to write up my findings at Hyponia until I have arrived. To sum up briefly, giving only the numbers: the Forward Base region (just under 1 KLY from the Hyponia border) was found to host one system with an Earth-like World, one system with an Ammonia World and four 'green' systems; on the borders three systems with Earth-like Worlds were found, one system was found with an Ammonia World and a total of six 'green' systems were discovered (including the system with the Ammonia World). No signs of spacefaring activity were seen. Despite numerous attempts to locate sources of volcanism or organics, none were observed. I shall be largely restricting my efforts in searching for volcanism to those occasions when I can use the family desktop, as I can only take so many negative findings, especially after discovering at Colonia that I can visit known sites and yet, for me personally, they do not appear.
Four 'Green' systems were found nearby, the closest being Phae Phlai XJ-R d4-35 which is also noteworthy for having twelve airless volcanic moons with surface temperatures between 200K and 500K. This is broadly the temperature range where life forms such as 'brain trees' have been found elsewhere in the galaxy on volcanic worlds, so this would be a good place to host such life. Sadly, driver problems prevented me from making an investigation of my own and I attempted no planetary landings in this region. Another nearby green system, Phae Phlai XJ-R d4-20, has three moons that match these criteria (moons 1a, 5a and 5b).
Yesterday I received word that CMDR Anuranium has sold the data on the Earth-likes he scanned near the Froadik border. The one we scanned whilst winged up was Byae Phlai LC-D d12-49 9 (which is also a green system) but so far only my CMDR name has been applied. The one CMDR Anuranium scanned before I arrived, Byae Phlai PY-Q c18-5 A3, I did not sell the data on and his first discovery tag has been applied correctly. I have updated the summary post on Froadik sector as well as the entry in the OP with this information.
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Currently I am about 8KLY away from Bleia and hope to arrive either late today or tomorrow. Although I have done very little scanning en route, I have still been fortunate enough to find three Ammonia Worlds. All have thick atmospheres but are otherwise unexceptional and no sign of 'city lights' was observed.
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No Spacefaring activity was observed in this region.
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Attempting to hyperspace to any system in Hyponia gives the message 'Unable to hyperspace to this system.'. The closest I was able to get was 0.83 LY, the distance between Phrooe Flye PB-F c14-96 and Hyponia RK-D b14-78.
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A number of planetary landings failed to find evidence of organics or surface volcanism but a number of worlds were found with suitable conditions for both and these may be worthy of future investigation.
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Forward Base
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A suitable Forward Base location was quickly found upon arrival in the region: Wembuia HD-Z d1-39 is home to an Earth-like World (planet A4) and, although it is not itself 'green', there are multiple green systems nearby, including its nearest neighbour, Wembuia MZ-S b9-3. This Forward Base is located almost 1 KLY from Hyponia, with the nearest system that I could find being Hyponia LZ-D b14-151, 963.73 LY away. It is located 9,940.83 LY from the Froadik Forward Base system, Froagh YJ-A d32, which is closer than it is to Colonia (12,718.93 LY). As well as four green systems being located within about 30 LY, an Ammonia World was also found, Wembuia UH-W c4-14 4, in a system exclusively populated by terrestrial-type worlds with atmospheres, so there were no landable bodies to investigate.
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Some time was spent attempting to locate surface volcanism near the Forward Base system but without success. The only body with volcanism and a surface temperature between 200K and 500K found was Wembuia SJ-Z e5 6 which has Iron Magma volcanism and a temperature of 474K but this is a super-Earth size planet with surface gravity of 1.39g, so not the easiest place to investigate. Dispiriting as this was, the survey proceeded directly to the Hyponia borders after locating the fourth of the green systems, Wembuia JY-Y d1-70, which had abundances of materials much higher than the other green systems found nearby.
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Border Zone
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The first of the three Earth-like Worlds found near the Hyponia borders was Phrooe Flye SM-D c15-220 B 1, which is unusual in that it orbits a L-type dwarf. It has a low mass, less than one-quarter that of Earth, and is tidally-locked, with an orbital period of just 15.8 days so it would be quite an alien environment despite the comfortable gravity (0.64g) and temperature (284K). Notably, this Earth-like World is very close to Hyponia, being 6.88 LY from Hyponia WG-A b16-2 and there is a green system just 4.74 LY away, Phrooe Flye SM-D c15-120. A total of six green systems were found close to the Hyponia border, one of which, Phrooe Flye RX-S c20-92, is also very close to a system with an Earth-like World, Phrooe Flye RX-S c20-78, where planet A7 is a more familiar Earth-like with an orbital period of almost exactly six months and a rotational period of 0.9 days and atmospheric pressure 0.98 bar, although it is cool for an Earth-like at 263K. The final Earth-like World found was Pha Flaae QZ-N c20-76 5, which has an exceptionally thick atmosphere. At 4.32 bars pressure, this is, as of the time of writing, the second-highest surface pressure known for a procedurally-named Earth-like World. The atmosphere is otherwise notable for having a higher proportion of argon than oxygen (5.1% compared to 3.6%). This world also has an orbital period of almost exactly six months and a rotational period of 0.9 days but is warm, with surface temperatures averaging 305K and lacks substantial ice caps, having instead large oceans with small, scattered continents.
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One Ammonia World was found close to the border, Pha Flaae VZ-G d10-7 7, only 5.90 LY away from Pha Flaae QZ-N c20-76 and 18.00 LY from the nearest system in Hyponia (Hyponia BQ-N d7-173). This Ammonia World has more than 15 Earth masses and a surface pressure of nearly 1500 bar, but although the surface environment is not hospitable, it boasts an impressive ring system with both metal-rich and rocky rings. This system is also 'green' and has two airless moons with volcanism and surface temperatures in the range 200-500K (5a and 5b) so it may be worthy of further study in future, should the means to locate life and volcanism (other than by eye) become available.
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A number of other systems were found to host bodies with conditions suitable for organics. These are normally close-orbiting moons of gas giants, with the volcanism arising from tidal heating. Occasionally, a moon will be in a sufficiently tight orbit of a terrestrial world that it can also harbour volcanism and one such example was found near Hyponia, Pha Flaae SU-N c20-103 6a, which is in a 1.1 day orbit and has Iron Magma volcanism and a surface temperature of 282K. Another place where such conditions arise are in binary pairs of moons or moons-of-moons, the latter being the case for Phrooe Flye RF-L d9-326 5aa which has an orbital period of 0.3 days, its parent moon also being the innermost moon of a ringed brown dwarf. This moon is also rich in Arsenic (2.8% abundance). Of particular interest to future investigations for organics, the system Phrooe Flye RF-L d9-545 hosts five moons with compatible surface conditions (1a, 1d, 3a, 3c, 3d) and also an unusually massive world that is also a candidate for terraforming: planet 2 is just over 4 times as massive as Earth and the surface gravity of 1.98g would certainly be a burden on colonists! It would take a considerable effort to terraform, however, with a surface pressure of nearly 4,000 bars and a surface temperature over 1400K! Other bodies with conditions suitable for organics are listed below.
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Several other noteworthy worlds were encountered close to the border. One landable world that is also a candidate for terraforming was found: Pha Flaae SU-N c20-66 B 1, a tidally-locked world of just over 0.1 Earth masses. Perhaps more pleasant an environment would be in Phrooe Flye RX-S c20-59, which hosts three water worlds that are all candidates for terraforming, two of which are in a binary configuration with each other. One gas giant with a large ring system was found: Phrooe Flye NR-U c19-144 4 has an icy C ring extending from 538,806km out to 3,421,202km but sadly it is too faint to be visible, having less than one-tenth the mass of the much smaller icy B ring.
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Summary
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Forward Base
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Forward Base centre: Earth-like World Wembuia HD-Z d1-39 A 4 (963.73 LY from Hyponia LZ-D b14-151)
Ammonia World: Wembuia UH-W c4-14 4 (30.79 LY from the Forward Base system)
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Green systems (distance from Forward Base system, LY): Wembuia RB-Y c3-9 (30.39): 1a (Nb 1.3%, Ge 5.6%); 1c (As 2.6%, V 4.9%); 1f (Po 0.5%, Ge 5.4%); 1g (Y 0.9%, Cd 1.2%, V 3.9%) Wembuia MZ-S b9-3 (2.06): 1 (Nb 1.5%, Cd 1.7%, Ge 4.6%); 3 (V 5.5%); 13a (Y 0.7%, As 1.6%, Ge 3.6%); 15f (Po 0.3%, Ge 3.6%) Wembuia PG-Y c3-10 (15.15): 2a (Y 0.7%, Nb 0.8%, Ge 3.5%); 6a (Po 0.5%, Nb 1.4%, As 2.6%, V 4.9%); 6b (Y 1.2%, Cd 1.6%, As 2.6%) Wembuia JY-Y d1-70 (27.50): 1 (Y 2.0%, Nb 2.3%, Cd 2.7%, V 8.4%); 4 (Po 0.7%, Cd 1.9%, As 2.7%); 11f (Y 0.8%, Nb 0.9%, Ge 3.9%); 11h (Cd 1.1%, As 1.8%, V 3.5%, Ge 4.1%)
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Worlds with surface conditions suitable for organics (landable, volcanism and surface temperatures between 200K and 500K): Wembuia SJ-Z e5 6
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Border
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Earth-like Worlds: Phrooe Flye SM-D c15-220 B 1 (6.88 LY from Hyponia WG-A b16-2) Phrooe Flye RX-S c20-78 A 7 (20.92 LY from Hyponia LR-B c14-36) Pha Flaae QZ-N c20-76 5 (21.63 LY from Hyponia BQ-N d7-173)
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Ammonia World: Pha Flaae VZ-G d10-7 7 (also green, see below)
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Green systems: Phrooe Flye SM-D c15-120: 2 (Nb 1.4%, Cd 1.6 %, Ge 4.5%); 4a (Po 0.5%, Nb 1.3%, Cd 1.4%); 4e (Y 1.0%, Nb 1.2%, V 4.2%); 5c (Nd 1.3%, As 2.5%, Ge 5.7%) Phrooe Flye NR-U c19-13: A1a (Y 1.2 %, Nb 1.3%, Cd 1.5%, V 4.8%); A1c (Y 1.1%, Cd 1.4%, Ge 5.3%); A2b (Nb 0.8%, Cd 0.9%, As 1.5%); A2f (Po 0.3%, Cd 0.9%, V 2.9%) Phrooe Flye RF-L d9-326: 2a (Po 0.5%, Cd 1.6%, Ge 5.8%); 5aa (Nb 1.3%, As 2.8%, V 4.7%); 5b (Y 1.1%, Nb 1.3%) Phrooe Flye RX-S c20-108: A1b (Cd 0.9%, As 1.5%, Ge 3.3%); A1c (Y 0.7%, Cd 0.9%); A2a (Nb 0.8%, V 3.0%); A2c (Po 0.3%, Cd 0.9%); A2e (Nb 0.8%, Cd 0.9%, As 1.6%, Ge 3.6%) Phrooe Flye RX-S c20-92: A2 (Nb 1.6%, Cd 1.8%, As 2.1%, V 5.6%); A2a (Y 1.2%, V 4.9%); A3 (Po 0.6%, As 2.2%, Ge 4.8%) Pha Flaae VZ-G d10-7: 5a (Nb 1.3%, As 2.5%, V 4.8%); 6b (Po 0.5%, Nb 1.3%, Ge 5.6%); 6e (Y 1.2%, Nb 1.3%, Cd 1.5%, As 2.5%, Ge 5.7%)
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Landable candidate for terraforming: Pha Flaae SU-N c20-66 B 1
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Worlds with surface conditions suitable for organics (landable, volcanism and surface temperatures between 200K and 500K): Pha Flaae VZ-G d10-7 moons 5a and 5b Pha Flaae SU-N c20-15 moon 6a Pha Flaae SU-N c20-103 moon 6a Phrooe Flye RF-L d9-326 moon 5aa Phrooe Flye RF-L d9-545 moons 1a, 1d, 3a, 3c, 3d Phrooe Flye JT-O d7-764 moon 2a
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General Comments
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The star density near Hyponia is high but M dwarfs dominate, giving an impression of being in a much less populous region. There are a few brighter stars around but nothing exotic, however a couple of neutron stars were observed just inside the Hyponia borders. At first there seemed to be a shortage of stars with planets, especially amongst the brighter stars, but this may be a purely local phenomenon and was less apparent after proceeding to Pha Flaae sector, than it was in Wembuia and Phrooe Flye.
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There was a clear abundance of systems with gas giants in the region, especially compared to terrestrial planets. Nevertheless, finding green systems took longer than expected as many systems with numerous landables seemed to be missing one of the required materials.
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Attempts at locating volcanism and organics were not successful and my experience from Colonia has, regrettably, taught me that I cannot treat this as being conclusive, as known sites failed to appear for me there. Therefore, future efforts to find these features will largely be confined to occasions when I have extended access to the family desktop rather than using my laptop. Worlds with suitable conditions were not hard to find, fortunately, especially with the high occurrence of gas giants with landable moons in the region.
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Minor Points of Interest
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class I gas giant with a large ring system: Phrooe Flye NR-U c19-144 4 C ring extends from 538,806 km to 3,421,202 km
system with three terraformable water worlds: Phrooe Flye RX-S c20-59 (planets 2, 3, 4)
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Gallery
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The crescent of Earth-like World Phrooe Flye SM-D c15-220 B 1, orbiting a L-type dwarf star.
The lava world Pha Flaae VZ-G d10-7 1, showing its colourful night side.
The Pierre Aronnax flying close to the rings of the Ammonia World Pha Flaae VZ-G d10-7 7.
I think I've finished my "survey" of the volcanic landables in Phae Phlai XJ-R d4-35. I say "I think" and I've quoted "survey" because the process was by no means exhaustive, although I do think that if there were brain trees I would have found them.
I visited A 2 a, A 4 a, A 5 a, A 5 d, A 6 a, A 6 b, A 7 a, A 7 b, A 8 a, A 8 b and checked at least one ejecta crater on each. Most did indeed have blue POIs but they all turned out to be outcrops on closer inspection.
Bubblewards now to check up on my Inara wing's shiny new player faction.
I think I've finished my "survey" of the volcanic landables in Phae Phlai XJ-R d4-35. I say "I think" and I've quoted "survey" because the process was by no means exhaustive, although I do think that if there were brain trees I would have found them.
I visited A 2 a, A 4 a, A 5 a, A 5 d, A 6 a, A 6 b, A 7 a, A 7 b, A 8 a, A 8 b and checked at least one ejecta crater on each. Most did indeed have blue POIs but they all turned out to be outcrops on closer inspection.
Bubblewards now to check up on my Inara wing's shiny new player faction.
Impressive work, CMDR! o7
That seems conclusive to me, given that brain trees are supposed to always be present in those circumstances. It is important to know where things are *not* as well as where they *are*, and your efforts make it plain that this system is not located in a region of past Guardian activity. The mystery of Bovomit clearly lies elsewhere.
I have been at Bleia since Monday 6th November but although I rushed from Hyponia to meet up with another CMDR here, I did find the time to do a little scanning on the way. In total I encountered three Ammonia Worlds and one Earth-like World, the latter also being in a 'green' system. This planet, Iowaitt FS-N c9-320 A 5, has an atmospheric pressure of 1.00 bars but is cool at 264K and has many large land masses. The moon B1a in this system has surface conditions compatible with organics: iron magma volcanism and 313K mean surface temperature but it is over 21 Kls from the jump-in point. The arsenic for FSD boosting requires a long journey but other materials can be found around the primary: A2 (Po 0.6%, Nb 1.5%, Cd 1.7%, V 5.4%); A10a (Y 0.7%, V 3.0%, Ge 3.5%); C1 (Y 1.3%, Nb 1.5%, As 2.1%).
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An interesting orbital configuration of ringed moons was found in Hypio Blou NO-O d7-1913. See for yourself: how many ringed moons can you spot in the following image?
answer:
Between Hypio Blou NO-O d7-1913 AB7 and its moons, all ring material types are also present.
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Having been at Bleia for a couple of days I am investigating the borders as I attempt to meet up with CMDR Gibbonici. Already I have encountered two Ammonia Worlds and one Earth-like World, although this Earth-like World required a journey of over 430 Kls to visit. I plan to spend longer on the Bleia borders than the other permit-locked regions I have so far visited owing to the fact that it consists of a cluster of five individual permit-locked zones.
I've begun scouting out a Forward Base location, having found numerous Ammonia Worlds and green systems on the Bleia border. So far I have not been able to meet up with CMDR Gibbonici, as my playing hours have been reduced over the last week or so. I might have another quick look on the borders for Earth-like Worlds as I fly past Bleia on my way to Praei later. The most interesting finding so far here has been a landable terraformable world that is Rocky, rather than high metal content: I think this might be the first I have seen - I can find no others in my records.
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No Spacefaring activity was observed in this region.
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Attempting to hyperspace to any system in Bleia gives the message 'Unable to hyperspace to this system.'. The closest I was able to get was 0.74 LY, the distance between Phroi Byoe RT-J b28-28 and Bleia5 IW-L b8-224.
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No planetary landings were attempted in this region due to the recurrence of a graphics glitch, however numerous worlds with surface conditions suitable for organic life were found. No space-based signal sources or anomalies of any kind were observed.
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Forward Base
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The Forward Base was scouted out after the Border zone as I had been hoping to meet up with another CMDR for some joint exploration of the Border. Unfortunately, my time in-game has been restricted lately and I was not able to meet up or do any joint scanning. Unusually, finding a suitable Forward Base was the very last thing I did near Bleia, as I had discovered numerous 'green' systems close by already, along with other noteworthy features. The Forward Base system is Hyuqau FN-H d11-3454 where planet C7 is an Earth-like World. It is about 4500 ls from the jump-in point but that is not too inconvenient, especially considering the useful location of this system. There are many neutron stars very close to this system, enabling rapid transport to and away from the Bleia border, which is located less than 400 LY away (the closest system I could identify was Bleia3 GB-X d1-8081, 383.05 LY distant). The Forward Base system is also home to a minor POI - a large ring system: planet ABC 1 is a class I gas giant with an icy B ring that is more than 12.5 million km wide, although it is too faint to be seen. One of the nearby neutron stars, Hyuqau LO-F d12-5557, exhibits a strange 'jink' in its rotation, perhaps due to being in a close orbit with a pair of main sequence stars, although not quite close enough that they are expected to be a hazard when hyperspacing into the system. This is also the most rapidly rotating neutron star in the Forward Base region. A neutron star closer to the Border was also visited, which enables fast transport back (Hyuqau PK-C d14-2562, 264.43 LY away).
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Five Ammonia Worlds were found near the Forward Base system, the closest being Hyuqau JT-F d12-5653 10, just 5.32 LY away. This is an interesting system, not only because it has an Ammonia World in a binary configuration with a water giant but also because there is a second water giant in the system - the outermost planet. It is quite rare to find multiple water giants in a system, though they can be easy to miss as their appearance is often similar to class I gas giants. The innermost planet in this system has surface conditions compatible with organics. Of the other three systems with Ammonia Worlds, the most useful is Hyuqau LO-F d12-6947 as this is also a 'green' system and is located 24.33 LY away from the Forward Base system. A rare Ammonia World moon was found a short way towards the Bleia border: Hyuqau TA-C d14-6642 8 a.
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A total of six 'green' systems were found near the Forward Base system. One of these is in a neutron star system 58.49 LY away, Hyuqau HI-H d11-985, but the abundances are relatively low. Probably the most convenient place to find jumponium is Hyuqau FN-H d11-824, as there are several worlds here with many ingredients present: moon 4aa is Y+3 (with As at 2.9% abundance), 8a is Po+3 and 4b has Nb, Cd, As, V and Ge!
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One landable world that is also a candidate for terraforming was found nearby: Hyuqau LO-F d12-4469 6. This world has surface conditions compatible with organics and a respectable 0.6% abundance of Polonium but the surface gravity is high enough to warrant some caution, being 1.25g.
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Several ring systems of note were recorded. As well as the large ring system of planet ABC 1 in the Forward Base system, large ring systems were found around Hyuqau LO-F d12-1943 5 (B ring, almost 2.8 million km wide), Hyuqau QB-N c23-119 3 (A ring, over 6.5 million km wide) and Hyuqau II-H d11-2660 10 (B ring, over 34 million km wide). Only the latter of these was visible, probably due to its high mass, but large ring systems seem to be more visible around brown dwarfs like this as well. One very narrow ring system was encountered, around Hyuqau VH-L c24-7 1 whose only ring is 2,626 km wide.
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Two large landable bodies were recorded, of which the largest is Hyuqau FN-H d11-1997 4 with a radius of 19,382 km and this world also sports a ring system and has two small moons. Hyuqau LO-F d12-5 AB 1 has a radius of 18,535 km and no rings but does have some ingredients for jumponium if you are prepared to brave 2.07 g gravity (Cd, As and Ge).
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Of scenic interest, the icy moon Hyuqau FN-H d11-1183 1 a is in a close-in but also highly-inclined orbit of its parent gas giant. The detailed surface scan suggests water geysers might be found here and with decent reserves of jumponium (Po, Cd, V), it might make for a rewarding visit. Another sight worth seeing is the egg-shaped planet Hyuqau FN-H d11-384 C 1, a metal-rich highly-volcanic planet with a thick atmosphere that has an orbital period of just 0.1 days. It orbits inside the fuel scooping zone of its parent star, so be careful!
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Twenty-four worlds were located with surface conditions suitable for organics nearby. If only there were some means of finding them (and volcanic sites, for that matter) on the surface other than eyeballing!
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Border Zone
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Only one Earth-like World was found on the Border, this time, Phroi Byoe RT-P d6-1180 BC 3. I have visited the Borders of Bleia before, during the Distant Worlds Expedition (waypoint 17 was the Magnus Nebula, about 1 KLY away) and found a handful of Earth-like Worlds, including the first Earth-like binary pair I had ever seen (Greeroe BK-Z d833 7&8) and a ringed Earth-like (Pheia Briae ZG-B d14-653 13), so I know Earth-like Worlds are not rare in the region. Phroi Byoe RT-P d6-1180 BC 3 is about 200 LY away from the nearest Bleia system but the complicated arrangement of permit-locked sectors makes distance estimates difficult for systems not directly adjacent to the border. It is a long journey to visit in supercruise, however - over 430 Kls - but the system as a whole is 'green' which does partly make up for it.
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Four Ammonia Worlds were found on the Border, of which Phroi Byoe MX-T e3-2420 3 is highly unusual, in that it is a system with a T Tauri star and a 'mass code' of 'e' (as in e3-2420). One of these four Ammonia Worlds, Phroi Byoe UP-D d13-614 9, is also located in a 'green' system, with the moons of the 11th planet having the materials needed for FSD boosting, and this system is only 3.59 LY from the nearest Bleia2 system.
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Seven 'green' systems were found in the Border region. One of these, Vegnoae UI-M b7-211, is only 1.77 LY from the nearest Bleia3 system.
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Four landable worlds that are candidates for terraforming were discovered, one of which is a rocky moon: Vegnoae BK-R d4-7645 2 b. According to my notes, this is the first time that I have encountered a world like this. It also has some useful materials for FSD boosting (Y, As, V). One of the other landable candidates for terraforming, Vegnoae GP-I c9-646 A 4, also has useful materials and is located in a 'green' system. The third landable terraformable world, Phroi Byoe YR-E c14-64 A 1, has surface conditions compatible with organics.
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Some interesting ring systems observed in the region are worth highlighting. In particular, the binary pair Vegnoae BK-R d4-1105 A 1&2 both have rings and orbit so close to each other that their rings come very close to touching. These two worlds and their rings are also very different in appearance and planet A1 is landable, so they make for an interesting vista. Phroi Byoe GW-C d6825 3 is noteworthy for having a very narrow ring system: its single ring has a width of just 1,410 km.
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In comparison to the bounty of organics-compatible worlds found near the Forward Base, only three worlds were recorded near the Border with those conditions (landable, 200K-500K temperature, volcanism).
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Summary
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Forward Base
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Forward Base centre: Earth-like World Hyuqau FN-H d11-3454 C 7 (383.05 LY from Bleia3 GB-X d1-8081)
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Ammonia Worlds (distance from Forward Base system): Hyuqau LO-F d12-6947 5 (24.33 LY, also 'green') Hyuqau XC-L c24-389 1 (65.60 LY) Hyuqau II-H d11-1100 B 9 (95.90 LY) Hyuqau JT-F d12-5653 10 (5.32 LY) Hyuqau TA-C d14-6642 8 a (172.20LY)
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Green systems (distance from Forward Base system, LY): Hyuqau HI-H d11-985 (58.49 LY): 1a (Po 0.3%, Nb 0.9%); 1b (As 1.7%, V 3.2%); 1d (Y 0.8%, Nb 0.9%, Ge 3.8%); 1g (Cd 1.0%) Hyuqau JT-F d12-2394 (16.51 LY): 2 (Po 0.7%, Cd 1.8%, V 5.8%); 6b (As 2.5%, Nb 1.3%, Ge 5.6%); 6c (Y 1.2%, Cd 1.6%, V 5.0%) Hyuqau PG-N c23-162 (8.70 LY): 2 (Ge 4.7%, V 3.5%); 4 (Y 1.4%, Nb 1.6%, As 2.2%, Ge 4.8%); 5d (Po 0.5%); 7a (Cd 1.0%, Ge 3.6%); 7ca (Y 0.6%, As 1.4%, V 2.3%); 9a (Y 0.7%, Cd 1.0%, V 3.0%, Ge 3.6%) Hyuqau FN-H d11-1183 (8.91 LY): 1a (Po 0.4%, Cd 1.1%, V 3.6%); 2ea (Nb 1.2%, As 2.7%); 3a (Y 1.2%, Cd 1.5%, Ge 5.6%) Hyuqau FN-H d11-824 (10.72 LY): 4aa (Y 1.2%, Nb 1.3%, As 2.9%, V 4.7%); 4b (Nb 1.4%, Cd 1.6%, As 2.6%, V 5.0%, Ge 5.8%); 8a (Po 0.5%, Nb 1.3%, Cd 1.5%, V 4.7%) Hyuqau LO-F d12-6947 (24.33 LY): 2d (Y 1.2%, Cd 1.5%, Ge 5.7%); 3a (Nb 1.4%, As 2.6%, V 5.0%); 3b (Po 0.5%)
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Landable world that is a candidate for terraforming: Hyuqau LO-F d12-4469 6 (surface conditions compatible with organics)
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Worlds with surface conditions suitable for organics (landable, volcanism and surface temperatures between 200K and 500K):
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Earth-like World: Phroi Byoe RT-P d6-1180 BC 3 (est. 200 LY from nearest Bleia system, also 'green' seen below)
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Ammonia Worlds: Hyuqau IB-D c29-384 A 4 Phroi Byoe MX-T e3-3420 3 Phroi Byoe UP-D d13-614 9 (also 'green') Phroi Byoe DI-V c18-715 A 3
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Green systems: Vegnoae UI-M b7-211: A2 (Y 1.3%, Nb 1.5%); B3 (Po 0.6%, Cd 1.7%, V 5.4%); B7a (Y 0.9%, Cd 1.1%, As 1.7%, V 3.5%); B8a (Y 0.7%, Nb 0.8%, V 3.0%, Ge 3.3%) Phroi Byoe RT-P d6-1180: A3c (Y 1.1%, Nb 1.3%, Ge 5.3%); A3d (Cd 1.5%, As 2.4%); BC 4c (Cd 1.5%, V 4.9%); BC 5b (Po 0.3%, Nb 0.8%, As 1.6%); C1 (Y 1.9%, Nb 2.2%) Phroi Byoe UP-D d13-614: 11a (Y 1.2%, Cd 1.5%, Ge 5.7%); 11b (Nb 1.3%, V 4.6%, Ge 5.5%); 11d (Po 0.5%, Cd 1.5%, V 4.8%); 11h (Y 1.0%, Cd 1.3%, As 2.2%) Phroi Byoe GT-K c24-306: A3 (As 2.0%, Nb 2.9%, Cd 3.3%, V 10.5%); BC3 (Y 1.3%, Ge 4.6%); D2 (Po 0.6%, Cd 1.8%, As 2.1%, V 5.7%) Phroi Byoe PJ-F d12-489: 1 (Y 1.3%, Cd 1.3%, Ge 4.6%); 2 (Nb 1.5%, V 5.4%); 3 (Po 0.6%, Cd 1.7%, Ge 4.5%); 10f (Po 0.3%, Nb 0.9%, As 1.6%, V 3.1%) Phroi Byoe GG-X b47-34: A1 (Po 0.9%); A2 (Cd 1.8%, Ge 5.0%, V 5.8%); A5 (Nb 1.6%, Ge 4.8%, V 5.7%); B1 (Po 0.6%, Nb 1.4%); B3 (Y 1.3%); AB 2a (Nb 0.9%, As 1.7%, V 3.3%, Ge 3.8%) Vegnoae GP-I c9-646: A1a (Po 0.5%, Nb 1.4%); A2a (V 4.9%, Ge 5.3%); A4 (Y 1.3%, Nb 1.5%, Cd 1.7%, As 2.1%)
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Landable candidates for terraforming: Phroi Byoe YR-E c14-64 A 1 (surface conditions compatible with organics) Vegnoae BK-R d4-7645 2 b (Rocky!) Vegnoae GP-I c9-646 A 4 (Y+3, 'green' system) Phroi Byoe MI-N c9-314 1
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Worlds with surface conditions suitable for organics (landable, volcanism and surface temperatures between 200K and 500K): Phroi Byoe UP-D d13-614 moon 11a Phroi Byoe YR-E c14-64 planet A 1 (also a candidate for terraforming) Vegnoae DF-R d4-8201 moon 1a
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General Comments
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I would like to apologise to CMDR Gibbonici for being unable to meet up with you for joint exploration of the Bleia borders. After racing out here, I found my play time affected both by fatigue and some other distractions that meant we were never online at the same time.
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The Bleia permit zone is vast, consisting as it does of five spheres each being 1KLY in diameter, so this survey is barely scratching the surface. Hopefully it will be sufficient to build upon in the future, especially with the Forward Base being located close to many neutron stars. This is one feature that Bleia has in its favour - it is swiftly accessible from a distance through neutron star boosting. The high proportion of massive stars in its vicinity also produces a greater proportion of metal-rich planets with higher abundances of materials than might be expected elsewhere. The potential for future investigations in this region is therefore very promising.
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Minor Points of Interest
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Rocky landable terraformable moon: Vegnoae BK-R d4-7645 2 b
Rapidly rotating neutron star with a 'jink' in its axis of rotation: Hyuqau LO-F d12-5557
Narrow ring systems: Hyuqau VH-L c24-7 1 (2,626 km wide) and Phroi Byoe GW-C d6825 3 (1,410 km wide)
Large ring systems: Hyuqau FN-H d11-3454 ABC 1 (B ring inner radius 1,395,191 km outer radius 13,968,581 km); Hyuqau QB-N c23-119 3 (A ring inner radius 443,108 km outer radius 7,089,723 km); Hyuqau II-H d11-2660 10 (B ring inner radius 2,289,972 km outer radius 36,639,540 km); Hyuqau LO-F d12-1943 5 (B ring inner radius 929,214 km outer radius 3,716,854 km)
Close-orbiting ringed binary pair: Vegnoae BK-R d4-1105 A 1&2
Large landables: Hyuqau FN-H d11-1997 4 (radius 19,382 km); Hyuqau LO-F d12-5 AB 1 (radius 18,535 km)
Ammonia World in a T Tauri system with 'mass code' e: Phroi Byoe MX-T e3-3420 3
Ammonia World in a binary configuration with a water giant in a system with two water giants: Hyuqau JT-F d12-5653 10
Icy moon in a highly-inclined close orbit of ringed gas giant: Hyuqau FN-H d11-1183 1 a
Egg-shaped volcanic planet in 0.1 day orbit: Hyuqau FN-H d11-384 C 1
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Gallery
. Hyuqau FN-H d11-384 C 1 transits its parent star during its 0.1 day orbit.
Hyuqau VH-L c24-7 1 has rings just 2626 km wide.
Phroi Byoe GW-C d6825 3 has even narrower rings, just 1,410 km wide.
Hyuqau LO-F d12-5557 hosts a neutron star with a jink in its axis of rotation, perhaps due to its close proximity to a binary pair of main sequence stars.
The large ring system of Hyuqau II-H d11-2660 10 is over 34 million km wide.
The Ammonia World Hyuqau LO-F d12-6947 5 and its ring system against the backdrop of the plane of the Milky Way.
Vegnoae BK-R d4-1105 A 1&2 orbit so close to each other that their ring systems are close to touching.
Vegnoae BK-R d4-7645 2 b is a rare landable terraformable rocky world.
Progress towards Praei has been good and the Pierre Aronnax's jump range is being tested as it crosses the Styx region. Three Ammonia Worlds and one Earth-like World have been encountered since leaving the Bleia borders but the most unusual finding is worthy of submitting to the Galactic Mapping Project as its own POI: Pyuefua XO-P b39-1 has two planets in extremely close orbits: A1 is a class IV gas giant with an orbital period of 0.3 days and A2 is a small, landable, high metal content world with a radius of just 802 km and an orbital period of 0.8 days. The two planets pass very close to each other yet somehow the planet A 2 is not gravitationally bound to the A 1 planet but to the star itself - this must be about as close as it is possible for two such worlds to get without being gravitationally bound to each other!
Pyuefua XO-P b39-1 A 1 and A 2 passing very close to each other during their orbit.
Today I visited the crash site of Tom the Keelback to pay my respects. On Jan 4-5th 3303, Tom was destroyed at Hatchoi DS-Y b29-0 2, lat: 15.2872 long: -109.4058 whilst attempting to land to gather materials to help make the trip to Beagle Point. Sam the SRV was on board and perished at the scene also. Tom was carrying the 'Wanderlust' Legacy from the Distant Worlds Expedition and had been attempting to make the trip to Beagle Point in honour of Bob the Keelback, who lived a short life filled with wanderlust before being destroyed by a pirate in the Delkar system after only a few days.
. https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showt...Beagle-Point?p=4962590&viewfull=1#post4962590
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The Pierre Aronnax landed at Hatchoi DS-Y b29-0 2 and the SRV in the images below is at the exact co-ordinates of the crash. At 14:00 on 27th Nov, one minute's silence was held in remembrance of Tom and his exploration spirit and endeavours.
It is worth remembering that, despite the crash, this was a positive endeavour attempting to achieve great things with limited means and undertaken in the true spirit of exploration. o7
This evening I reached the vicinity of Praei and have begun to look for a suitable Forward Base system.
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It has become more noticeable since leaving Bleia that the light-years to Sol have been increasing, with two Earth-like Worlds encountered en route and their distances to Sol being twice that of those at Sidgoir or Froadik. Even so I was surprised how quickly Praei rose up the distance; perhaps because of its vast size it is both closer and farther than I expected. I have visited the borders once before, albeit briefly, passing by on my way back from Distant Worlds. I know that the Southern end of 'route 33' is not far from Praei but that is not the way I will be leaving this time: Beagle Point is very far removed from my intended route.
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So far I have not found any candidate systems for the Forward Base - no Earth-like Worlds, yet. The most interesting finding has been a 'green' system with six moons that have surface conditions compatible with organic structures - all of them in binary configurations.
