For you solar system designers…
Alien Life Prefers Circles
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/alien-life-prefers-circles/
If any of you intrepid authors are designing a solar system for your next great Sci-Fi project, you need to consider this information from Scientific American. The article points out a very logical piece of information.
The solar system in which your aliens live should be in a system where you have multiple planets. Most likely, something similar to our planetary count in our system. The logic seems appropriate. If there are only a couple of planets, their orbit eccentricity will cause wide variations in the climate. Given such a broad variance in climate would surely make it difficult for any alien life form to develop.
Personally, I think the more planets the better, it gives an author a local community on which to develop the story, having to travel too far makes it difficult without some kind of exotic propulsion system.
I like the concept of writing within one solar system and that is what I’ve done in one my series. Gemini is what happens if one planet wants to see if there is another planet orbiting opposite to them on the other side of their sun. When they find out the truth, they are faced with extinction or they must adapt.
Ray Jay Perreault
