There are billions of stars, millions of planets, but there is only one man, Terrance McDoogal. Welcome to LIU Atlas.
LIU Atlas - Niteo
The Ludgonian Industrial Union's galaxy contains billions of stars and billions of planets. Unfortunately, most residents of the LIU could only name a handful of these worlds. In order to improve astronomy grades across the LIU Galaxy, TV2 has started a new program called LIU Atlas. Follow our host, Terrance McDoogal, as he takes you on a tour across the LIU and some of its more obscure worlds.
Note: This episode is presented in full screen. The corresponding dialogue is underneath each photo.
Note: This episode is presented in full screen. The corresponding dialogue is underneath each photo.
Doog: “Welcome to another episode of LIU Atlas. I’m your host, Terrance “Doog” McDoogal. Today, we’re visiting the mining planet, Niteo. Niteo is the closest planet to the variable star, Nitet. Nitet is a Cepheid Variable, meaning that its pulsating diameter alters both its temperature and brightness every two days. I’m not too sure how that affects Niteo and its mining operations, but it was on the cue card, so I guess it’s important. Enough speculation, let’s head down to a local mining settlement and find out.”
Doog: “Alright folks, I’ve been dropped off in Zuva’s Ravine, an equatorial mining settlement in the planet’s eastern hemisphere. Zuva’s Ravine looks like a frontier town. The buildings look primitive and hastily constructed. If there weren’t signs of technology, like the solar panels and communication arrays, I would have guessed I accidentally stepped into a time machine. The only other thing I noticed is that everyone appears to be dressed the same. Do we have some type of cult-situation going on? Add that to our list of mysteries.”
Saepire: “My intelligence report said you were dull-witted, but this is unbelievable.”
Doog: “What! Who are you?”
Saepire: “I am Deputy Saepire. I’m the law in these parts…and your guide for today’s show.”
Doog: “Well sir, at the risk of going to jail, screw you! I’m not dull-witted!”
Saepire: “The facts of the situation say otherwise. You came to Niteo dressed like…this.”
Doog: “What’s wrong with this? Do you guys not like red? Is it too bright? Should I dress all drab like the rest of the cult?”
Saepire: “Nitet is a powerful star even at its lowest diameter. Solar radiation, especially in the ultra-violet range, is brutally high on Niteo. Any exposed skin…will certainly feel some irritation.”
Doog: “A little sunburn won’t hurt. Heck, it might improve my tan.”
Saepire: “Perhaps I didn’t explain it correctly. You will not tan. Your skin will burn severely in a short period of time.”
Doog: “How short?”
Saepire: “We are at Nitet’s minimum diameter, so you might have two hours before the pain becomes noticeable.”
Doog: “That’s plenty of time to do my show, but to be safe, let’s make this quick.”
Doog: “What! Who are you?”
Saepire: “I am Deputy Saepire. I’m the law in these parts…and your guide for today’s show.”
Doog: “Well sir, at the risk of going to jail, screw you! I’m not dull-witted!”
Saepire: “The facts of the situation say otherwise. You came to Niteo dressed like…this.”
Doog: “What’s wrong with this? Do you guys not like red? Is it too bright? Should I dress all drab like the rest of the cult?”
Saepire: “Nitet is a powerful star even at its lowest diameter. Solar radiation, especially in the ultra-violet range, is brutally high on Niteo. Any exposed skin…will certainly feel some irritation.”
Doog: “A little sunburn won’t hurt. Heck, it might improve my tan.”
Saepire: “Perhaps I didn’t explain it correctly. You will not tan. Your skin will burn severely in a short period of time.”
Doog: “How short?”
Saepire: “We are at Nitet’s minimum diameter, so you might have two hours before the pain becomes noticeable.”
Doog: “That’s plenty of time to do my show, but to be safe, let’s make this quick.”
Doog: “So, we don’t have a cult-situation. Everyone is dressed like this to counter the UV radiation.”
Saepire: “Yes.”
Doog: “Look, we’re learning things already. Now, we might as well scratch Zuva’s Ravine off the list. What can you tell us about this place?”
Saepire: “Zuva’s Ravine is a mining settlement near two prominent veins of Ghyllium. The miners that harvest these veins live here. Of course, their presence attracted other settlers, like merchants, tradesmen, and such. About two thousand people live here now.”
Doog: “And none of these settlers tried to build better buildings? No offense, Sheriff, but this town looks a bit scruffy.”
Saepire: “Everything here must be imported: food, water, medicine, and even building materials. Obviously, importing goods is expensive. Why waste credits on trivial things, like modern homes?”
Doog: “Makes sense, I guess. So, that wraps up Zuva’s Ravine. I guess we move onto the mining now.”
Saepire: “You seem to be in quite the hurry.”
Doog: “I may or may not be experiencing shoulder discomfort.”
Saepire: “Already feeling Nitet’s Glory, huh?”
Doog: “No need to rub it in…unless we’re talking about sunblock. Have anything SPF500 or so?”
Saepire: “Yes.”
Doog: “Look, we’re learning things already. Now, we might as well scratch Zuva’s Ravine off the list. What can you tell us about this place?”
Saepire: “Zuva’s Ravine is a mining settlement near two prominent veins of Ghyllium. The miners that harvest these veins live here. Of course, their presence attracted other settlers, like merchants, tradesmen, and such. About two thousand people live here now.”
Doog: “And none of these settlers tried to build better buildings? No offense, Sheriff, but this town looks a bit scruffy.”
Saepire: “Everything here must be imported: food, water, medicine, and even building materials. Obviously, importing goods is expensive. Why waste credits on trivial things, like modern homes?”
Doog: “Makes sense, I guess. So, that wraps up Zuva’s Ravine. I guess we move onto the mining now.”
Saepire: “You seem to be in quite the hurry.”
Doog: “I may or may not be experiencing shoulder discomfort.”
Saepire: “Already feeling Nitet’s Glory, huh?”
Doog: “No need to rub it in…unless we’re talking about sunblock. Have anything SPF500 or so?”
Saepire: “Unfortunately for you, the mines are a few miles outside of town. I’d planned on taking some mechanical steeds out there, but it looks like we’re going to have to find something more covered.”
Doog: “How is that unfortunate for me? Covered sounds great.”
Saepire: “It will cost more.”
Doog: “No worries, just bill it to the show. While you’re at it, upgrade us to something air-conditioned.”
Doog: “How is that unfortunate for me? Covered sounds great.”
Saepire: “It will cost more.”
Doog: “No worries, just bill it to the show. While you’re at it, upgrade us to something air-conditioned.”
Saepire: “A Hover-Coach it is. Fine choice.”
Doog: “This is what I’m talking about.”
Doog: “This is what I’m talking about.”
Saepire: “I’ve never travelled in such accommodations. Perhaps you are not as dull-witted as they warned.”
Doog: “My producer might not see it that way when she gets this bill, but that’s tomorrow’s problem.”
Doog: “My producer might not see it that way when she gets this bill, but that’s tomorrow’s problem.”
Doog: “And…we’re back out in the UV hellhole. I thought the mines would be…underground. Wishful thinking, I guess.”
Saepire: “Indeed. Ghyllium is close to the surface. Surface mining is the most practical extraction method. Mining in the ravine makes it that more efficient. There’s less topsoil to remove.”
Doog: “I guess we have the how. People and mechs hammer green crystals out of the ravine walls. How about the what? What is Ghyllium?”
Saepire: “Indeed. Ghyllium is close to the surface. Surface mining is the most practical extraction method. Mining in the ravine makes it that more efficient. There’s less topsoil to remove.”
Doog: “I guess we have the how. People and mechs hammer green crystals out of the ravine walls. How about the what? What is Ghyllium?”
Saepire: “I’m a retired soldier turned lawman. I’m not a science expert or anything, so I’ll try my best.”
Doog: “That’s all me and my aching shoulders can ask for.”
Saepire: “Ghyllium is a product of high-energy radiation ionizing cerium-oxide and fusing it with ferrous materials in the crust. Its photocatalytic properties are unique, allowing visible light to pass through, but absorbing UV radiation. It also has high oxygen-ion conductivity.”
Doog: “If that is the laymen version, I don’t think I want to hear from an actual scientist.”
Saepire: “Yeah, I don’t know half the words I just said. I was just reading off some notes I wrote on my hand.”
Doog: “Did you have enough room on your hand to write about why? Why mine Ghyllium?”
Saepire: “Unfortunately, I sweat most of that part off. But I know it is used for the large neutrino collectors under the surface.”
Doog: “The large what? Wait, hold that thought. Let’s discuss it back in the coach.”
Doog: “That’s all me and my aching shoulders can ask for.”
Saepire: “Ghyllium is a product of high-energy radiation ionizing cerium-oxide and fusing it with ferrous materials in the crust. Its photocatalytic properties are unique, allowing visible light to pass through, but absorbing UV radiation. It also has high oxygen-ion conductivity.”
Doog: “If that is the laymen version, I don’t think I want to hear from an actual scientist.”
Saepire: “Yeah, I don’t know half the words I just said. I was just reading off some notes I wrote on my hand.”
Doog: “Did you have enough room on your hand to write about why? Why mine Ghyllium?”
Saepire: “Unfortunately, I sweat most of that part off. But I know it is used for the large neutrino collectors under the surface.”
Doog: “The large what? Wait, hold that thought. Let’s discuss it back in the coach.”
Doog: “Did you say neutrino collectors?”
Saepire: “Yeah, Nitet is a big source off neutrinos, especially when it swells to its maximum size.”
Doog: “So, there’s a reason there is a mining settlement on such a hostile place.”
Saepire: “Yeah, there’s abundant Ghyllium and neutrinos in one place.”
Saepire: “Yeah, Nitet is a big source off neutrinos, especially when it swells to its maximum size.”
Doog: “So, there’s a reason there is a mining settlement on such a hostile place.”
Saepire: “Yeah, there’s abundant Ghyllium and neutrinos in one place.”
Saepire: “Miners transport Ghyllium to the Pauli shaft, where it is taken down to the neutrino collectors below.”
Doog: “This is Pauli’s shaft, huh? Are we going down his shaft? That sounds weird to say out loud. Maybe edit that out.”
Saepire: “Yes, we must descend the shaft to reach the collectors.”
Saepire: “Yes, we must descend the shaft to reach the collectors.”
Doog: “These carts are the Ghyllium, right?”
Saepire: “No, these are the finished product, containment boxes full of neutrinos. The Pauli shaft is the transport hub for the operation. Ghyllium goes down, neutrinos come up. It’s essentially just an elevator.”
Doog: “At this point, I don’t care if it’s stairs. I just want to get inside.”
Saepire: “Follow me.”
Saepire: “No, these are the finished product, containment boxes full of neutrinos. The Pauli shaft is the transport hub for the operation. Ghyllium goes down, neutrinos come up. It’s essentially just an elevator.”
Doog: “At this point, I don’t care if it’s stairs. I just want to get inside.”
Saepire: “Follow me.”
Saepire: “The shaft is deep. The collectors are miles below the surface. If you need a bathroom break or something, you better do it now.”
Doog: “Unless there’s a shop selling aloe, I’d rather just continue.”
Saepire: “Fair enough. Let’s head down.”
Doog: “Unless there’s a shop selling aloe, I’d rather just continue.”
Saepire: “Fair enough. Let’s head down.”
Doog: “So…there’s no music or anything like that.”
Saepire: “No.”
Doog: “So…we just stand here and stare at each other for a while.”
Saepire: “I guess.”
Doog: “How long of a ride is it?”
Saepire: “Twenty minutes or so.”
Doog: “Oh, good. I was hoping it was awkwardly long.”
Saepire: “You’re out of the sun, aren’t you?”
Doog: “I guess there’s that.”
Saepire: “No.”
Doog: “So…we just stand here and stare at each other for a while.”
Saepire: “I guess.”
Doog: “How long of a ride is it?”
Saepire: “Twenty minutes or so.”
Doog: “Oh, good. I was hoping it was awkwardly long.”
Saepire: “You’re out of the sun, aren’t you?”
Doog: “I guess there’s that.”
Doog: “So, why is this collector so deep underground?”’
Saepire: “If you’ll excuse me, I’ll have to look at my forearm. Ah yes – neutrinos have almost no mass and only interact with the weak force. That means they can pass through light years of matter without interactions. Having the collector this deep ensures that only neutrinos are captured. They’re the only sub-atomic particle that can make it down here. Other cosmic radiation and particles are filtered out.”
Doog: “I don’t even know what a neutrino is…so…sounds good to me.”
Saepire: “Neutrinos are simply fermions with a spin of ½, duh.”
Doog: “And they come in three flavors: electron, muon, and tau. I can read off your arm too. It doesn’t mean I know what I’m saying.”
Saepire: “Fair enough.”
Saepire: “If you’ll excuse me, I’ll have to look at my forearm. Ah yes – neutrinos have almost no mass and only interact with the weak force. That means they can pass through light years of matter without interactions. Having the collector this deep ensures that only neutrinos are captured. They’re the only sub-atomic particle that can make it down here. Other cosmic radiation and particles are filtered out.”
Doog: “I don’t even know what a neutrino is…so…sounds good to me.”
Saepire: “Neutrinos are simply fermions with a spin of ½, duh.”
Doog: “And they come in three flavors: electron, muon, and tau. I can read off your arm too. It doesn’t mean I know what I’m saying.”
Saepire: “Fair enough.”
Saepire: “This is it, one of the neutrino collectors.”
Doog: “How does it work?”
Saepire: “Beats me.”
Doog: “Don’t you have something written on your body about this?”
Saepire: “Nah, I ran out of space. I can’t write left-handed.”
Doog: “So, what do we do now?”
Saepire: “Ask one of these scientist guys, I imagine.”
Doog: “How does it work?”
Saepire: “Beats me.”
Doog: “Don’t you have something written on your body about this?”
Saepire: “Nah, I ran out of space. I can’t write left-handed.”
Doog: “So, what do we do now?”
Saepire: “Ask one of these scientist guys, I imagine.”
Doog: “Hey, scientist guy, can you briefly, in laymen’s terms, explain how this collector works?”
Scientist: “That depends. What do you know about particle physics?”
Doog: “Uh, neutrinos are furbies that spin in three flavors…salty…sweet…and…let me see your arm again, Saepire – I forgot what they are.”
Scientist: “This ought to be fun. Neutrinos don’t interact with ordinary matter most of the time. They’re nearly massless. However, they are affected by the electroweak force. So, the biggest challenge in collection is manipulating that weak nuclear force. Challenging because the electroweak force declines exponentially with distance. We can’t just get something close to the neutrinos, we need particles to strike the neutrinos. These particles must be of equal momentum to stop them.”
Scientist: “That depends. What do you know about particle physics?”
Doog: “Uh, neutrinos are furbies that spin in three flavors…salty…sweet…and…let me see your arm again, Saepire – I forgot what they are.”
Scientist: “This ought to be fun. Neutrinos don’t interact with ordinary matter most of the time. They’re nearly massless. However, they are affected by the electroweak force. So, the biggest challenge in collection is manipulating that weak nuclear force. Challenging because the electroweak force declines exponentially with distance. We can’t just get something close to the neutrinos, we need particles to strike the neutrinos. These particles must be of equal momentum to stop them.”
Scientist: “That’s where the Ghyllium comes in handy. Alpha particles, released when the Ghyllium undergoes fusion, are perfect momentum equalizers. It’s simply a matter of firing the alpha particles at the correct relativistic velocity, spin, and vector.”
Scientist: “Chambers such as this, direct the alpha particle momentum equalizers in several directions to counter neutrinos passing through. Without velocity, the neutrinos are easy to collect in proton gates. They are then stored in electroweak cases built from the degraded Ghyllium.”
Doog: “Saepire, did you catch any of that?”
Saepire: “Uh, no. In regard to neutrinos, we are both dull-witted.”
Doog: “I take no offense that.”
Scientist: “Maybe I can try again? Perhaps some visuals will help.”
Doog: “No thanks. We wasted enough of your time already. We don’t want to interrupt your capture of those flavorful neutrino furbies.”
Saepire: “Yeah, alphabet particles have never been my thing.”
Doog: “Momentum vectors give me gas.”
Saepire: “I’m more of a strong-force guy.”
Scientist: “Ok, now you’re wasting my time. GET OUT!”
Doog: “Saepire, did you catch any of that?”
Saepire: “Uh, no. In regard to neutrinos, we are both dull-witted.”
Doog: “I take no offense that.”
Scientist: “Maybe I can try again? Perhaps some visuals will help.”
Doog: “No thanks. We wasted enough of your time already. We don’t want to interrupt your capture of those flavorful neutrino furbies.”
Saepire: “Yeah, alphabet particles have never been my thing.”
Doog: “Momentum vectors give me gas.”
Saepire: “I’m more of a strong-force guy.”
Scientist: “Ok, now you’re wasting my time. GET OUT!”
Doog: “Maybe we should have waited until the facility tour was over before we offended that science guy.”
Saepire: “Maybe, but this doesn’t look too hard to figure out. He said something about this.”
Doog: “That whole Ghyllium business?”
Saepire: “Yeah, electric-weak cases or something like that. They use the depleted Ghyllium to make cases to store neutrinos.”
Doog: “Yeah, I remember something about that.”
Saepire: “Maybe, but this doesn’t look too hard to figure out. He said something about this.”
Doog: “That whole Ghyllium business?”
Saepire: “Yeah, electric-weak cases or something like that. They use the depleted Ghyllium to make cases to store neutrinos.”
Doog: “Yeah, I remember something about that.”
Doog: “Hey, these are those containment boxes we saw coming out of the shaft earlier, right?”
Saepire: “The unsealed version, I think.”
Doog: “We’ve come full circle. There’s just one question left, then.”
Saepire: “How long before we wrap up this episode?”
Doog: “No, what are neutrinos gathered for? What are they used for?”
Saepire: “Oh, I actually know this. The same properties that make neutrinos hard to collect make them useful. Like, their ability to pass through regular matter unimpeded. They’re used for imaging the inside of dense objects, like planets. They are also used for communication through dense regions, like nebulas and star clusters.”
Doog: “Awesome, that does it. Although, you could have saved that for the elevator ride back to the surface. Now we have another twenty minutes of awkward silence to deal with.”
Saepire: “The unsealed version, I think.”
Doog: “We’ve come full circle. There’s just one question left, then.”
Saepire: “How long before we wrap up this episode?”
Doog: “No, what are neutrinos gathered for? What are they used for?”
Saepire: “Oh, I actually know this. The same properties that make neutrinos hard to collect make them useful. Like, their ability to pass through regular matter unimpeded. They’re used for imaging the inside of dense objects, like planets. They are also used for communication through dense regions, like nebulas and star clusters.”
Doog: “Awesome, that does it. Although, you could have saved that for the elevator ride back to the surface. Now we have another twenty minutes of awkward silence to deal with.”
Doog: “Any final thoughts, Saepire?”
Saepire: “Just one, and you’re not going to like it.”
Doog: “What?”
Saepire: “Zuva’s Ravine is a long way back, and I don’t think your going to get a Hover-Coach this time.”
Doog: “Why not? Charge it to the show.”
Saepire: “I don’t have a neutrino communicator, so I didn’t get this message until we got back to the surface. Long story short, your producer, Amaya, cancelled your line of credit. She didn’t seem happy.”
Doog: “Dang, I was hoping she wouldn’t find out until tomorrow!”
Saepire: “Just one, and you’re not going to like it.”
Doog: “What?”
Saepire: “Zuva’s Ravine is a long way back, and I don’t think your going to get a Hover-Coach this time.”
Doog: “Why not? Charge it to the show.”
Saepire: “I don’t have a neutrino communicator, so I didn’t get this message until we got back to the surface. Long story short, your producer, Amaya, cancelled your line of credit. She didn’t seem happy.”
Doog: “Dang, I was hoping she wouldn’t find out until tomorrow!”
Doog: “Well folks, I guess I better wrap this episode up before I head outside – I have a long, hot, burning walk back to my ship. That’s because Niteo orbits the variable star, Nitet. As Nitet expands and contracts, its luminosity and temperature increases and decreases. Nitet’s output of valuable neutrinos also increases as it expands. There’s a facility here to collect these neutrinos, and a large mining industry to support it. Oh well, I better get to walking. Wish me luck. See ya!”
Note:
Note:
Mike: “What the heck happened to you! You’re redder than your shirt!”
Doog: “I don’t want to talk about it…mostly because my face hurts when I talk. I just need three things from you guys. One: Don’t touch me. Two: Bring me all the ointments and ointment-like materials on the ship. Three: Don’t tell Amaya…”
Doog: “I don’t want to talk about it…mostly because my face hurts when I talk. I just need three things from you guys. One: Don’t touch me. Two: Bring me all the ointments and ointment-like materials on the ship. Three: Don’t tell Amaya…”
Amaya: “Doog! Is that you?! Did you really double this episode’s budget for an air-conditioned Hover-Coach?! Doog!”
Doog: “I’ll be hiding in the laundry room for the next few days. Remember, bring ALL the ointments!”
Doog: “I’ll be hiding in the laundry room for the next few days. Remember, bring ALL the ointments!”
