Alien Planet
Encyclopedia
Alien Planet is a 94-minute docufiction
, originally airing on the Discovery Channel
, about two internationally built robot
probes searching for alien life on the fictional planet Darwin IV
. It was based on the book Expedition
, by sci-fi/fantasy artist and writer Wayne Douglas Barlowe, who was also executive producer on the special. It premiered on May 14, 2005.
The show uses sophisticated computer-generated imagery
, which is interspersed with interviews from such notables as Stephen Hawking
, George Lucas
, Michio Kaku
and Jack Horner
. The show was filmed in Iceland
and Mono Lake
in California
.
, leaving Earth
's orbit
. Traveling at 20% the speed of light (37,000 miles/s), it reaches Darwin IV in 42 years. Upon reaching orbit, it deploys the Darwin Reconnaissance Orbiter, which looks for potential landing sites for the probes. The first probe, Balboa
, explodes along with its lifting body
transport during entry, because one of its wings failed to unfold. Two backup probes, Leonardo da Vinci
(nicknamed Leo) and Isaac Newton
(nicknamed Ike), successfully land on the planet, and learn much about its bizarre indigenous lifeforms, including an apparently sapient species.
The robotic probes sent out to research on Darwin IV are called Horus
Probes. Each Horus probe consists of an 8 feet (2.4 m) high, 40 feet (12.2 m) long inflatable, hydrogen
-filled balloon, which is covered with solar receptors, a computer 'brain', a 'head' covered with sensors, and several smaller robots that could be sent to places too dangerous for the probes themselves. The probes had a limited degree of artificial intelligence, very similar to the 'processing power' of a 4-year-old. All the real thinking was done by a supercomputer in the orbiting Von Braun. The probes were programmed with different personalities; Ike was more cowardly and skittish, while Leo was the risk-taker. The two probes are also equipped with a holographic message that will be sent to any sentient life found on Darwin.
After the two probes inflate their gas-bags, they encounter a voracious Arrowtongue and watch it pursue a Gyrosprinter. Later that night, the twins find the wreckage of Balboa and are forced to split up, Ike studying the unique plant life and Leo going after big game. Ike's voyage takes him to one of Darwin IV's pocket forests, where he encounters a flock of Trunk Suckers and their predator, the ruthless Daggerwrist. Before his research is finished, a massive hurricane-like storm hits and Ike must take to the sky, launching weather balloons. Leo goes to the mountain ranges and finds a herd of Unths, engaged in rutting-like behavior, which soon get freaked out and run away.
Afterward, Leo finds a pair of strange Bladderhorns engaging in combat. He tries to communicate with one, but thanks to a sonic ping interrupting the conversation and scaring off the animal, he fails and is knocked out by a mysterious creature. Ike ventures to the meadows and gullies of Darwin IV, only to encounter a massive herd of Grovebacks and Littoralopes. It is here that he also encounters a pair of Skewers.
Leo gets destroyed by a mysterious and evasive unknown creature, and Ike, ordered by the Von Braun to search for Leo's attacker, hopes to find a new sentient species. Ike's route takes him across perilous terrain, and across the Amoebic Sea in his quest for Leo. As he embarks on his journey, one of the Grovebacks seen earlier falls victim to a swarm of Beach Quills. Ike then finds a pack of Prongheads hunting a Gyrosprinter, and then crosses the Amoebic
Sea (which attempted to attack Ike) and encounters a herd of Sea Striders.
Ike manages to make contact after a harrowing experience with a Skewer which tries to attack him, but before it could it is killed by a spear that was thrown by the newly discovered Eosapien. Shortly afterward, Ike communicates with the Eosapien tribe and discovers that they are truly intelligent. Ike launches a camera disk to record the moment, or perhaps "to assert the threat" due to a third Eosapien appearing, however one of the Eosapiens mistakes it as an attack and destroy the camera disk. Before shutting down, the wrecked camera disk records the Eosapien tribe carrying Ike away.
. At this speed it reaches the planet Darwin IV in 42 years. The Von Braun has two primary propulsion systems: nuclear ion engines
for low-speed maneuvers during the first year of spaceflight and an antimatter catalyst
to accelerate to 20% the speed of light. Once in orbit it deploys the Darwin Reconnaissance Orbiter and the landing probes. It also has artificial intelligence
computers to act as the central command for the mission. During the long cruise to Darwin IV, a metal-composite
, dust shield protects the spacecraft from interstellar debris. It is jettisoned before Von Braun brakes in orbit around Darwin IV. Finally, it has a 165 feet (50.3 m) diameter communications dish, deployed in orbit, for information transfer to Earth. It transfers a large amount of information via a laser beam
at a frequency of 8 GHz
in the X-band.
s, capable of several megawatts, for power. Its primary purpose was to look for potential landing sites for the Horus probes and to map the entire planet. After deployment, the DRO utilizes its own booster rocket
to place it in the proper orbit. The DRO studied the planet for about 1 Darwin IV year (about 1.6 Earth years) to ensure the Horus probes would not land in unacceptable conditions. Instruments carried on the DRO include a synthetic aperture radar
, a visible light
camera, a near-infrared
camera, and a spectrometer
. The exact timing of the landings would be determined by computers in the Von Braun based on data from the DRO.
, was the first probe launched to explore Darwin IV. However, it experienced a malfunction while entering Darwin IV's atmosphere and disintegrated. If Probe Balboa's entry into Darwin IV atmosphere is watched carefully, it can be seen that the right tail fin does not extend and lock into place. On entry, this exposed joint heats to extreme temperatures, and catches fire. Speculatively, this could be what caused the destruction of the probe. Probe Balboa was never given a nickname. He was the shortest lasting probe, since he was never activated. His color is red.
, was the second probe to attempt landing on Darwin IV
, which was a success. Leo was programmed to take risks and be adventurous, and study animal life. He explored the planet for several days before he went offline due to an Eosapien attack. He came back online momentarily, launching a camera disk, which disturbed the Eosapiens and provoked them to attack a second time. Leo never came back online. His color is blue.
, was the third and final probe to land. He was programmed to be more observational and avoid risks. His first objective was the study of plant life; but Ike encountered many more creatures in the process. After Leo went offline, the Von Braun commanded probe Newton to search for Leo and to take more risks studying animal life. On the way, Ike traveled some distance and discovered several new aliens. Upon arrival at Leo's final transmission site, Ike was almost killed by a Skewer, but was miraculously saved by an Eosapien's spear. It is unknown if this was simply pure luck, or, as a genuine form of extraterrestrial intelligence, if it willingly saved Ike's life. Ike then showed the Eosapien the Earth communication message. Ike was surrounded by Eosapiens and launched his sixth and last camera disk. The Eosapiens thought the camera disk was a threat and attacked it and possibly Ike, thus terminating surface operations of the mission. If an observer looks carefully, they can see that Ike is last seen being carried away by the Eosapien tribe and is presumed to have been destroyed, although his true fate is still debatable. He was the longest lasting probe on Darwin IV. His color is yellow.
Ike constantly launched camera disks to study life-forms.
Camera disks 1, 5, and 6 from Ike were destroyed by native life. They were lost to - Daggerwrists (Because it "wasn't interested in posing"), Sea Striders (One stepped on the disk by accident), and Eosapiens (They mistook it for a threat for some reason, probably seeing it as throwing a weapon). One of Leo's camera disks was destroyed by an Eosapien (Again, because the disk was mistaken for a threat).
Docufiction
Docufiction is a neologism which refers to the cinematographic combination of documentary and fiction. More precisely, it is a documentary contaminated with fictional elements, in real time, filmed when the events take place, and in which someone - the character - plays his own role in real life...
, originally airing on the Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel is an American satellite and cable specialty channel , founded by John Hendricks and distributed by Discovery Communications. It is a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav...
, about two internationally built robot
Robot
A robot is a mechanical or virtual intelligent agent that can perform tasks automatically or with guidance, typically by remote control. In practice a robot is usually an electro-mechanical machine that is guided by computer and electronic programming. Robots can be autonomous, semi-autonomous or...
probes searching for alien life on the fictional planet Darwin IV
Darwin IV
Darwin IV is a fictional planet that was the subject of Wayne Barlowe's book Expedition and the television special, Alien Planet, based on Expedition...
. It was based on the book Expedition
Expedition (book)
Expedition is the title of a science fiction book by artist-author Wayne Douglas Barlowe. Subtitled "Being an Account in Words and Artwork of the 2358 A.D...
, by sci-fi/fantasy artist and writer Wayne Douglas Barlowe, who was also executive producer on the special. It premiered on May 14, 2005.
The show uses sophisticated computer-generated imagery
Computer-generated imagery
Computer-generated imagery is the application of the field of computer graphics or, more specifically, 3D computer graphics to special effects in art, video games, films, television programs, commercials, simulators and simulation generally, and printed media...
, which is interspersed with interviews from such notables as Stephen Hawking
Stephen Hawking
Stephen William Hawking, CH, CBE, FRS, FRSA is an English theoretical physicist and cosmologist, whose scientific books and public appearances have made him an academic celebrity...
, George Lucas
George Lucas
George Walton Lucas, Jr. is an American film producer, screenwriter, and director, and entrepreneur. He is the founder, chairman and chief executive of Lucasfilm. He is best known as the creator of the space opera franchise Star Wars and the archaeologist-adventurer character Indiana Jones...
, Michio Kaku
Michio Kaku
is an American theoretical physicist, the Henry Semat Professor of Theoretical Physics in the City College of New York of City University of New York, the co-founder of string field theory, and a "communicator" and "popularizer" of science...
and Jack Horner
Jack Horner (paleontologist)
John "Jack" R. Horner is an American paleontologist who discovered and named Maiasaura, providing the first clear evidence that some dinosaurs cared for their young. He is one of the best-known paleontologists in the United States...
. The show was filmed in Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
and Mono Lake
Mono Lake
Mono Lake is a large, shallow saline lake in Mono County, California, formed at least 760,000 years ago as a terminal lake in a basin that has no outlet to the ocean...
in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
.
Plot
Alien Planet starts out with an interstellar spacecraft named Von BraunWernher von Braun
Wernher Magnus Maximilian, Freiherr von Braun was a German rocket scientist, aerospace engineer, space architect, and one of the leading figures in the development of rocket technology in Nazi Germany during World War II and in the United States after that.A former member of the Nazi party,...
, leaving Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
's orbit
Orbit
In physics, an orbit is the gravitationally curved path of an object around a point in space, for example the orbit of a planet around the center of a star system, such as the Solar System...
. Traveling at 20% the speed of light (37,000 miles/s), it reaches Darwin IV in 42 years. Upon reaching orbit, it deploys the Darwin Reconnaissance Orbiter, which looks for potential landing sites for the probes. The first probe, Balboa
Vasco Núñez de Balboa
Vasco Núñez de Balboa was a Spanish explorer, governor, and conquistador. He is best known for having crossed the Isthmus of Panama to the Pacific Ocean in 1513, becoming the first European to lead an expedition to have seen or reached the Pacific from the New World.He traveled to the New World in...
, explodes along with its lifting body
Lifting body
A lifting body is a fixed-wing aircraft configuration in which the body itself produces lift. In contrast to a flying wing, which is a wing with minimal or no conventional fuselage, a lifting body can be thought of as a fuselage with little or no conventional wing...
transport during entry, because one of its wings failed to unfold. Two backup probes, Leonardo da Vinci
Leonardo da Vinci
Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci was an Italian Renaissance polymath: painter, sculptor, architect, musician, scientist, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, geologist, cartographer, botanist and writer whose genius, perhaps more than that of any other figure, epitomized the Renaissance...
(nicknamed Leo) and Isaac Newton
Isaac Newton
Sir Isaac Newton PRS was an English physicist, mathematician, astronomer, natural philosopher, alchemist, and theologian, who has been "considered by many to be the greatest and most influential scientist who ever lived."...
(nicknamed Ike), successfully land on the planet, and learn much about its bizarre indigenous lifeforms, including an apparently sapient species.
The robotic probes sent out to research on Darwin IV are called Horus
Horus
Horus is one of the oldest and most significant deities in the Ancient Egyptian religion, who was worshipped from at least the late Predynastic period through to Greco-Roman times. Different forms of Horus are recorded in history and these are treated as distinct gods by Egyptologists...
Probes. Each Horus probe consists of an 8 feet (2.4 m) high, 40 feet (12.2 m) long inflatable, hydrogen
Hydrogen
Hydrogen is the chemical element with atomic number 1. It is represented by the symbol H. With an average atomic weight of , hydrogen is the lightest and most abundant chemical element, constituting roughly 75% of the Universe's chemical elemental mass. Stars in the main sequence are mainly...
-filled balloon, which is covered with solar receptors, a computer 'brain', a 'head' covered with sensors, and several smaller robots that could be sent to places too dangerous for the probes themselves. The probes had a limited degree of artificial intelligence, very similar to the 'processing power' of a 4-year-old. All the real thinking was done by a supercomputer in the orbiting Von Braun. The probes were programmed with different personalities; Ike was more cowardly and skittish, while Leo was the risk-taker. The two probes are also equipped with a holographic message that will be sent to any sentient life found on Darwin.
After the two probes inflate their gas-bags, they encounter a voracious Arrowtongue and watch it pursue a Gyrosprinter. Later that night, the twins find the wreckage of Balboa and are forced to split up, Ike studying the unique plant life and Leo going after big game. Ike's voyage takes him to one of Darwin IV's pocket forests, where he encounters a flock of Trunk Suckers and their predator, the ruthless Daggerwrist. Before his research is finished, a massive hurricane-like storm hits and Ike must take to the sky, launching weather balloons. Leo goes to the mountain ranges and finds a herd of Unths, engaged in rutting-like behavior, which soon get freaked out and run away.
Afterward, Leo finds a pair of strange Bladderhorns engaging in combat. He tries to communicate with one, but thanks to a sonic ping interrupting the conversation and scaring off the animal, he fails and is knocked out by a mysterious creature. Ike ventures to the meadows and gullies of Darwin IV, only to encounter a massive herd of Grovebacks and Littoralopes. It is here that he also encounters a pair of Skewers.
Leo gets destroyed by a mysterious and evasive unknown creature, and Ike, ordered by the Von Braun to search for Leo's attacker, hopes to find a new sentient species. Ike's route takes him across perilous terrain, and across the Amoebic Sea in his quest for Leo. As he embarks on his journey, one of the Grovebacks seen earlier falls victim to a swarm of Beach Quills. Ike then finds a pack of Prongheads hunting a Gyrosprinter, and then crosses the Amoebic
Amoeba
Amoeba is a genus of Protozoa.History=The amoeba was first discovered by August Johann Rösel von Rosenhof in 1757. Early naturalists referred to Amoeba as the Proteus animalcule after the Greek god Proteus, who could change his shape...
Sea (which attempted to attack Ike) and encounters a herd of Sea Striders.
Ike manages to make contact after a harrowing experience with a Skewer which tries to attack him, but before it could it is killed by a spear that was thrown by the newly discovered Eosapien. Shortly afterward, Ike communicates with the Eosapien tribe and discovers that they are truly intelligent. Ike launches a camera disk to record the moment, or perhaps "to assert the threat" due to a third Eosapien appearing, however one of the Eosapiens mistakes it as an attack and destroy the camera disk. Before shutting down, the wrecked camera disk records the Eosapien tribe carrying Ike away.
Von Braun
The cruise speed of the Von Braun is 20% the speed of lightSpeed of light
The speed of light in vacuum, usually denoted by c, is a physical constant important in many areas of physics. Its value is 299,792,458 metres per second, a figure that is exact since the length of the metre is defined from this constant and the international standard for time...
. At this speed it reaches the planet Darwin IV in 42 years. The Von Braun has two primary propulsion systems: nuclear ion engines
Ion thruster
An ion thruster is a form of electric propulsion used for spacecraft propulsion that creates thrust by accelerating ions. Ion thrusters are categorized by how they accelerate the ions, using either electrostatic or electromagnetic force. Electrostatic ion thrusters use the Coulomb force and...
for low-speed maneuvers during the first year of spaceflight and an antimatter catalyst
Antimatter rocket
An antimatter rocket is a proposed class of rockets that use antimatter as their power source. There are several designs that attempt to accomplish this goal...
to accelerate to 20% the speed of light. Once in orbit it deploys the Darwin Reconnaissance Orbiter and the landing probes. It also has artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence is the intelligence of machines and the branch of computer science that aims to create it. AI textbooks define the field as "the study and design of intelligent agents" where an intelligent agent is a system that perceives its environment and takes actions that maximize its...
computers to act as the central command for the mission. During the long cruise to Darwin IV, a metal-composite
Composite material
Composite materials, often shortened to composites or called composition materials, are engineered or naturally occurring materials made from two or more constituent materials with significantly different physical or chemical properties which remain separate and distinct at the macroscopic or...
, dust shield protects the spacecraft from interstellar debris. It is jettisoned before Von Braun brakes in orbit around Darwin IV. Finally, it has a 165 feet (50.3 m) diameter communications dish, deployed in orbit, for information transfer to Earth. It transfers a large amount of information via a laser beam
Laser
A laser is a device that emits light through a process of optical amplification based on the stimulated emission of photons. The term "laser" originated as an acronym for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation...
at a frequency of 8 GHz
Hertz
The hertz is the SI unit of frequency defined as the number of cycles per second of a periodic phenomenon. One of its most common uses is the description of the sine wave, particularly those used in radio and audio applications....
in the X-band.
Darwin Reconnaissance Orbiter
The Darwin Reconnaissance Orbiter (DRO) was deployed in orbit around Darwin IV from the Von Braun. The spacecraft has a mass of about 5,000 kilograms. Unlike the nuclear-powered Von Braun, the DRO utilizes solar panelPhotovoltaics
Photovoltaics is a method of generating electrical power by converting solar radiation into direct current electricity using semiconductors that exhibit the photovoltaic effect. Photovoltaic power generation employs solar panels composed of a number of solar cells containing a photovoltaic material...
s, capable of several megawatts, for power. Its primary purpose was to look for potential landing sites for the Horus probes and to map the entire planet. After deployment, the DRO utilizes its own booster rocket
Booster rocket
A booster rocket is either the first stage of a multi-stage launch vehicle, or else a strap-on rocket used to augment the core launch vehicle's takeoff thrust and payload capability. Boosters are generally necessary to launch spacecraft into Earth orbit or beyond...
to place it in the proper orbit. The DRO studied the planet for about 1 Darwin IV year (about 1.6 Earth years) to ensure the Horus probes would not land in unacceptable conditions. Instruments carried on the DRO include a synthetic aperture radar
Synthetic aperture radar
Synthetic-aperture radar is a form of radar whose defining characteristic is its use of relative motion between an antenna and its target region to provide distinctive long-term coherent-signal variations that are exploited to obtain finer spatial resolution than is possible with conventional...
, a visible light
Visible spectrum
The visible spectrum is the portion of the electromagnetic spectrum that is visible to the human eye. Electromagnetic radiation in this range of wavelengths is called visible light or simply light. A typical human eye will respond to wavelengths from about 390 to 750 nm. In terms of...
camera, a near-infrared
Infrared
Infrared light is electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength longer than that of visible light, measured from the nominal edge of visible red light at 0.74 micrometres , and extending conventionally to 300 µm...
camera, and a spectrometer
Spectrometer
A spectrometer is an instrument used to measure properties of light over a specific portion of the electromagnetic spectrum, typically used in spectroscopic analysis to identify materials. The variable measured is most often the light's intensity but could also, for instance, be the polarization...
. The exact timing of the landings would be determined by computers in the Von Braun based on data from the DRO.
Horus Probes
Each of the Horus probes are used for the surface operations of the Darwin IV expedition. The Von Braun carries three probes. Each probe is essentially identical with the exception of their behavior and external color. Each probe is carried to the surface in a lifting body lander.Probe Balboa
Probe Balboa, named after Vasco Núñez de BalboaVasco Núñez de Balboa
Vasco Núñez de Balboa was a Spanish explorer, governor, and conquistador. He is best known for having crossed the Isthmus of Panama to the Pacific Ocean in 1513, becoming the first European to lead an expedition to have seen or reached the Pacific from the New World.He traveled to the New World in...
, was the first probe launched to explore Darwin IV. However, it experienced a malfunction while entering Darwin IV's atmosphere and disintegrated. If Probe Balboa's entry into Darwin IV atmosphere is watched carefully, it can be seen that the right tail fin does not extend and lock into place. On entry, this exposed joint heats to extreme temperatures, and catches fire. Speculatively, this could be what caused the destruction of the probe. Probe Balboa was never given a nickname. He was the shortest lasting probe, since he was never activated. His color is red.
Probe Da Vinci
Probe Leo, named after Leonardo da VinciLeonardo da Vinci
Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci was an Italian Renaissance polymath: painter, sculptor, architect, musician, scientist, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, geologist, cartographer, botanist and writer whose genius, perhaps more than that of any other figure, epitomized the Renaissance...
, was the second probe to attempt landing on Darwin IV
Darwin IV
Darwin IV is a fictional planet that was the subject of Wayne Barlowe's book Expedition and the television special, Alien Planet, based on Expedition...
, which was a success. Leo was programmed to take risks and be adventurous, and study animal life. He explored the planet for several days before he went offline due to an Eosapien attack. He came back online momentarily, launching a camera disk, which disturbed the Eosapiens and provoked them to attack a second time. Leo never came back online. His color is blue.
Probe Newton
Probe Ike, named after Isaac NewtonIsaac Newton
Sir Isaac Newton PRS was an English physicist, mathematician, astronomer, natural philosopher, alchemist, and theologian, who has been "considered by many to be the greatest and most influential scientist who ever lived."...
, was the third and final probe to land. He was programmed to be more observational and avoid risks. His first objective was the study of plant life; but Ike encountered many more creatures in the process. After Leo went offline, the Von Braun commanded probe Newton to search for Leo and to take more risks studying animal life. On the way, Ike traveled some distance and discovered several new aliens. Upon arrival at Leo's final transmission site, Ike was almost killed by a Skewer, but was miraculously saved by an Eosapien's spear. It is unknown if this was simply pure luck, or, as a genuine form of extraterrestrial intelligence, if it willingly saved Ike's life. Ike then showed the Eosapien the Earth communication message. Ike was surrounded by Eosapiens and launched his sixth and last camera disk. The Eosapiens thought the camera disk was a threat and attacked it and possibly Ike, thus terminating surface operations of the mission. If an observer looks carefully, they can see that Ike is last seen being carried away by the Eosapien tribe and is presumed to have been destroyed, although his true fate is still debatable. He was the longest lasting probe on Darwin IV. His color is yellow.
Mini probes
The Horus probes (Leo, Ike, and Balboa) carry mini-probes to venture into places too dangerous or too small for the Horus probes. The spiders and disks can be collected and recharged, while the balloons cannot.Camera disks
Camera disks are small, flying-saucer like disks that can be launched and fly at high speeds. The disks are equipped with two small cameras to record video. The disks were considered as threats by the Eosapiens (Probably because they see them as throwing weapons), and was the main culprit for the probe's destruction. Leo, Ike, and Balboa each have six of them.Ike constantly launched camera disks to study life-forms.
Camera disks 1, 5, and 6 from Ike were destroyed by native life. They were lost to - Daggerwrists (Because it "wasn't interested in posing"), Sea Striders (One stepped on the disk by accident), and Eosapiens (They mistook it for a threat for some reason, probably seeing it as throwing a weapon). One of Leo's camera disks was destroyed by an Eosapien (Again, because the disk was mistaken for a threat).
Spiders
Spider probes are small, slow, spider-like walkers that can move under and into places out of reach from the larger probes. The spiders have small cameras on top and can pick up samples of plant and animal matter. Spider probe 1 from Ike was electrocuted by a pair of Electrophytes, acting as a light switch and closing a fatal gap.Weather balloons
Green weather balloons are used to help Ike, Leo, and Balboa analyze the current weather conditions. They are built with a sensor that tells the Horus probes what is going on. They also have a small camera. Unlike the camera disks and spider probes, the weather balloons are not retrieved for re-use. It's unknown if any of them got destroyed by some force.See also
- Aurelia and Blue MoonAurelia and Blue MoonAurelia and Blue Moon are hypothetical examples of a planet and a moon on which extraterrestrial life could evolve. They are the outcome of a collaboration between television company Blue Wave Productions Ltd. and a group of American and British scientists who were collectively commissioned by...
, hypothetical planets featured in a similar program on the National Geographic ChannelNational Geographic ChannelNational Geographic Channel, also commercially abbreviated and trademarked as Nat Geo, is a subscription television channel that airs non-fiction television programs produced by the National Geographic Society. Like History and the Discovery Channel, the channel features documentaries with factual...