Thaeta

The world of Thaeta is one of eight moons of the planet Cronos IV in the Amara System of the Milky Way Galaxy. It was named roughly after the eighth symbol in the greek alphabet, being the eigthth moon discovered in orbit of Cronos IV. At 9,850 km in diameter, it is one of the largest moons. It also the only moon in the system with a preexisting atmosphere. As such, it was the most readily colonized by humanity upon discovery. Terraforming efforts had begun on Baeta and Aepsilon at a similar time, but were not completed before the Greatest War.

Geography and Climate
Thaeta is almost entirely covered in water, leaving land masses in a smattering of archipelagos. Until the arrival of colonists from Earth, the land was rich with metal deposits but devoid of most life-sustaining minerals, the air thin but oxygen-based. Its molten metal core allows for some tectonic motion, though most major cities have been purposely situated far from areas of major activity. Terraforming measures have allowed for the soil to sustain many native earth plants, which have resulted in earth-like ecosystems around cities which also produce some level of climate control.

Within cities, aeroforming moderates weather conditions to some extent, but air currents outside of these constantly tended environments tend to be unpredictable. Travellers and outposts that experience heavy storms are lucky, compared to those that must suffer areas where the air is too thin to breathe. Even functioning climate control devices can be less than efficient during certain times of the day cycle. Filter chips have been adapted to aid in human respiration, when oxygen and nitrogen levels become too low or high.

Temperature variation is similarly extreme. In most areas, the long days and nights can result in nearly unlivable changes, but major cities are equipped with technology that can contain more mild temperatures. Individual implants can even allow for personal climate control.

Seasonality
Cronos IV completes a single cycle around Amara approximately every nine Earth-years, but this has little effect on Thaeta’s seasonality. Because it does not tilt, neither does the moon suffer any annual climatic changes. It does, however, turn very slowly in relation to the sun. With days that last about 720 Earth-hours, the residents of Thaeta have taken to measuring artificial 24-hour days with clocks. This results in a 30 days of light and 30 days of darkness, known as light and dark months.

The beginning of the light month is arguably the most pleasant time of month in the so-called natural world, outside of constantly mild cities. Near the middle of the light cycle, air gets drier and temperatures rise. Frequent rains and summer-like thunderstorms are common in the evening of the month, especially as the sun sets in a days-long dusk. The early night month is the time of extreme storms. Most cities can use heat and aeroforming measures to reroute or even partially evaporate these storms, turning them into minor showers, at most. As the long night progresses they become less frequent, and sometimes it gets cold enough to snow from mid- to late-month. The snow melts as dawn rises and the light month begins again.

Life
It has been argued that some microscopic lifeforms were discovered in the first probes that landed on Thaeta, but the need for viable homes for humans was deemed too great. Officially, these microorganisms are considered extinct or near extinction.