"H. Beam Piper - Uller Uprising" - читать интересную книгу автора (Piper H Beam)

Introduction

Dr. John D. Clark

I THE SILICONE WORLD

1. THE STAR AND ITS MOST IMPORTANT PLANET

The planet is named Uller (it seems that when interstellar travel was developed, the names of
Greek Gods had been used up, so those of Norse gods were used). It is the second planet of the
star Beta Hydri, right angle 0:23, declension -77:32, G-0 (solar) type star, of approximately the
same size as Sol; distance from Earth, 21 light years.

Uller revolves around it in a nearly circular orbit, at a distance of 100,000,000 miles, making it
a little colder than Earth. A year is of the approximate length of that on Earth. A day lasts 26
hours.

The axis of Uller is in the same plane as the orbit, so that at a certain time of the year the
nonh pole is pointed directly at the sun, while at the opposite end of the orbit it points
directly away. The result is highly exaggerated seasons. At the poles the temperature runs from
120┬░C to a low of -80┬░C. At the equator it remains not far from 10┬░C all year round. Strong winds
blow during the summer and winter, from the hot to the cold pole; few winds during the spring and
fall.

The appearance of the poles varies during the year from baked deserts to glaciers covered with
solid CO2. Free water exists in the equatorial regions all year round.

2. SOLAR MOVEMENT AS SEEN FROM ULLER

As seen from the north pole-no sun is visible on Jan. 1. On April 1, it bisects the horizon all
day, swinging completely around. April 1 to July 1, it continues swinging around, gradually rising
in the sky, the spiral converging to its center at the zenith, which it reaches July 1. From July


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1 to October 1 the spiral starts again, spreading out from the center until on October 1 it
bisects the horizon again. On October 1 night arrives to stay until April 1.

At the equator, the sun is visible bisecting the southern horizon for all 26 hours of the day on
January 1. From January 1 to April 1, the sun starts to dip below the horizon at night, to rise
higher above it during the day. During all this time it rises and sets at the same hours, but
rises in the southeast and sets in the southwest. At noon it is higher each day in the southern
sky until April 1, when it rises due east, passes through the zenith and sets due west. From April
1 to July 1, its noon position drops down to the north, until on July 1, it is visible all day,
bisected by the northern horizon.

3. CHEMISTRY AND GEOLOGY OF ULLER