Variant/Alternate Atmospheres: An Analysis.

Something that appears to have gone mostly unnoticed by the wider community so far is a strange phenomenon - rarely, some worlds with thin atmospheres will have a completely different sky colour to the normal appearance of worlds with their atmosphere type. After studying several different types, I've begun to notice patterns - an atmospheric composition will have a specific type of variant atmosphere, and it has a specific type of condition that causes it to occur.

Type: Variant Ammonia
Day Colouration: Brown/green horizon, blue sky
Dusk Colouration: Yellow/green horizon, blue/green sky
Conditions of Occurence: Average surface temperature below 160K
Example World: Swoilz XX-D c1-29 5 C
From Orbit:
1748887445009.png

Day Sky:
1748887617755.png

Dusk Sky:
1748887711413.jpeg

Type: Variant Oxygen
Day Colouration: Red/purple horizon, blue/purple sky
Dusk Colouration: Red horizon, purple sky
Low Altitude/In Crater Colouration: Black sky, orange region around star
Conditions of Occurence: Oxygen atmosphere world with over 0.087 ATM pressure (NOTE: Worlds displayed as "0.09 atmospheres" in-game may be between 0.085 and 0.095 ATM, so may not count)
Example World: Swoilz AC-G b3-8 A 2
From Orbit:
1748888787479.png

Day Sky:
1748888091186.png

Dusk Sky:
1748888232264.jpeg

Low Altitude Sky:
1748888546936.png

Type: Variant Argon/Variant Neon (does not apply to Argon-Rich or Neon-Rich)
Day Colouration: Blue horizon, brown sky
Dusk Colouration: Vibrant blue horizon, dark sky
Conditions of Occurence: Volcanism
Example World: Swoilz VL-G b3-5 ABCD 3 f
From Orbit:
1748889088781.jpeg

Day Colouration:
1748889345669.png

Dusk Colouration:
1748889512171.jpeg

I have heard rumours of a Variant Neon atmosphere, but don't know the locations of any such worlds or what they look like. If anyone has any information on this or any other type of variant atmosphere not mentioned, please let me know!
 
Last edited:
Huh. After some more surveying, it seems the trigger for Variant Ammonia Worlds is a surface temperature below 160K. Added to OP.
 
Variant Neon atmospheres have been discovered... as being identical in both looks and spawning conditions to Variant Argon. Weird. Also, it turns out I was wrong with the exact Variant Oxygen conditions - apparently the threshold is 0.087 ATM, not 0.09. Added both to OP.
 
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