Awohali is the 10th Interstellar Object, the 3rd Exoplanet and the 2nd Giant obtained in The Beyond Bubble Universe, which can generate Stardust. (Unlocked at Rank 20, branching off of WASP-12b)
In-Game Description[]
"Awohali is a Neptune-sized planet that hugs a red dwarf in close orbit. There, ice meets fire. Heat from the star and from strong tidal forces inside Awohali melt and vaporize rock and ice. The debris forms a shiny halo and a long tail behind the planet, like a comet."
Traits[]
Common[]
- Warm Neptune (Speed):
"Neptunian planets are mostly gas and partly rock. They can be warm or frozen. Awohali may have formed in the icy suburbs of its solar system and migrated to the hot center. That’s not unusual. What is strange is that its atmosphere has absolutely no methane. A mystery!"
- Sun-Kissed Eagle (Payout):
"In 2022, planet GJ 436 b and its star earned the proper names Awohali and Noquisi, meaning “eagle” and “star” in Cherokee. The names evoke the legend of a bird that flew close to the Sun, which kissed its tail feather, alluding to the planet’s comet-like tail."
Rare[]
- Indirect Observation (Payout):
"Most exoplanets are found by their effects. A planet passes in front of a distant star, and its gravity bends the starlight. Or it transits its own star and briefly dims it. Or its gravity makes the star wobble, shifting the spectrum red or blue—the radial velocity method."
Epic[]
- Cosmology (Speed):
"The scientific study of the universe asks the very biggest questions. How did it form? What came before? How does it work? Is it infinite? Will it die? All the pieces we observe—comets, moons, planets, stars, galaxies, nebulae, and even voids—provide some answers."
- Dark Matter (Payout):
"Dark matter acts like a superhero. It’s everywhere in space and yet invisible. Its gravity distorts huge objects that we can see. It can even buttress a dwarf galaxy against annihilation by a giant one. The duo of dark matter and dark energy make up 95% of the universe."
- Dark Energy (Discount):
"Little is known about dark energy, except that it’s repulsive. Opposing gravity, this strange force causes matter to scatter rather than attract, pushing our universe to expand faster and faster. Dark energy makes up 68% of the universe’s mass-energy density."
Constellations[]
- Eridanus (1.5x Speed):
"Eridanus, The River, is the longest constellation in the sky. It starts near Rigel and twists and turns all the way to its brightest star, Achernar (“River’s End” in Arabic). It was named after Eridu, an early Sumerian city in the marshes of what is now southern Iraq."
- Canis Major (2x Speed):
"Imagine Canis Major, a “Great Dog,” on two hind legs, chasing Lepus the Hare. Or maybe it’s bounding after Orion the Hunter. Meanwhile, Orion’s blue-gemmed belt points back to Sirius, the bright star that bejewels the Great Dog’s neck. A storybook in the sky!"
- Ursa Minor (1.5x Speed):
"Ursa Minor, the “Little Bear,” features Polaris and the Little Dipper, which adds a long celestial tail. (Real bears don’t have tails.) The week of December 17 features the Ursids, an annual show of meteors courtesy of the dust from Comet 8P/Tuttle."
System Components[]
Exoplanet[]
Gliese 436 b (formally named Awohali) is a Neptune-sized exoplanet orbiting the red dwarf Gliese 436.
Achievements[]
- Proof of Life (Rank 3):
"The presence of methane or carbon dioxide, coupled with changes in gas levels, can be proof of life. K2-18b, a sub-Neptune in the habitable zone, has both gases and a third life clue—dimethyl sulfide. The find is exciting but still a baby step before making an ET leap."
- Orphan Planets (Rank 6):
"Big planets can force small planets to migrate and can even fling them into interstellar space. How can we find these dark, starless orphans? Gravitational microlensing: As they pass in front of a distant star, their gravity bends and magnifies the starlight."
Real Image[]
Visualization of Awohali (right) compare to Earth (left)
Sources[]
- Awohali — image above taken (compare to Earth)
