The Planet
The Planet of Gallifrey
2010-01-18T08:29:54.312+11:00
kasterborus.jpeg
The Minyan Constellation of Kasterborus
In the Kasterborus Sector. The centermost star is Gallifrey's sun.
(seen on the back of the 3rd/4th/8th Doctor's TARDIS key)
"Can you imagine silver leaves waving above a pool of liquid gold
containing singing fish? Twin suns that circle and fall in a rainbow heaven,
another world in another sky? If you'd like to come with me, I'll show
you all this - and it will be, I promise you, the dullest part of all. Come
with me and you will see wonders that no Human has ever dreamt possible. Or
stay behind and regret your staying until the day you die."
The Doctor
ASTROPHYSICAL LOCATION
Gallifrey is in the seventh system
at the heart of the Home Constellation
(a Gallifreyan "constellation" refers to elements of
time/relativity/location)
- which is known to the Lesser Species as the
Minyan
constellation of Kasterborus
(also known as the Kasterborus Sector). It is named for an astrologist who
also wrote Our Destiny is in the Stars. Later myths will claim that the gods
yolked him to a chariot of silver fire. His beliefs have infiltrated the
cultures of the Delphons, Phreni, and Sirians.
The Constellation of Kasterborus is located at
the center
(or the edge)
of
the Mutter's Stellian
(or Stellarian)
Spiral Galaxy (The Milky Way, Galaxia Kyklos)
on the edge of the Capricorn Tract. This is a close to the center of the
galaxy as its possible to be without drawn into the black hole.
The Kasterborus Ice Ring, and Kasterborus Borealis
are in the same sector as Gallifrey's system, but
the other systems of the Kasterborus sector have no significant
populations.
One of the stars on the outer edge of the constellation is a red giant
which contains the storm belt (filled with ruined spaceships).
The Nebula of Cyclops is near enough to Gallifrey
to be faintly visible.
The Kasterborus Constellation might be in the
Sagittarius constellation (center of the galaxy) in the Earth
skies.
In this area of space stars would be clustered so tightly that they would
only be about 1/10th of a lightyear apart. During the Rassilon Era
Gallifrey
is 29,000 light years from Sol III. However by the time of the Humanian
Era
the planet is 250,000,000 light years away
(it was probably moved there during the Time War or perhapse it was
the only Gallifrey to physically survive the Time War).
During the Rassilon Era its binary coordinates are 10-0-11-0-0 by 02 from
galactic 0 center.
Gallifrey's Dominions include several planets that would be valuable if
mined
(Could they contain Taranium?)
Time Lord traffic control monitor any vessels that pass near Gallifrey's
space-time location.
Traffic Control's temporal scans will detect an unschedualed Timeship about
2 minutes before it materializes and identify whether it is Gallifreyan from
its molecular patina.
Space vessel must request pemission to pass through Gallifrey's
space-time.
The Sisterhood of Karn
draws a significant number of space vessels (probably to steal the Elixir),
causing them to crash on Karn.
gallifreydistant.jpg
gallifreymoon.jpg
gallifreyplanet.jpeg
The Planet Gallifrey (Earth provided for scalein the second picture)
SYSTEM DATA
Gallifrey's primary star has no name. It is a GV (yellow dwarf) star
which has been re-engineered by solar engineers to remain main
sequence.
In order to protect Gallifrey from Vampires, the solar engineer, Omega,
constructed a new
Second Sun, which
he added
to Gallifrey's system.
This Second Sun is probably a small artificial one
for
Gallifrey is usually described as having only one sun. The star is visible
from Gallifrey and named Pogar. Because of
the twin suns
the planets in system have very short nights.
The Gallifrey system has six planets: Gallifrey,
Karn, a frozen gas giant named Polarfrey, Kasterborus the Fibster (an
asteroid) and another unknown planet
(possibly Demos).
Gallifrey and Karn might be the second and third planets in the system. Karn
is located a few billion miles (could be SI or European "billion") from
Gallifrey
and appears to have population of no more then a few million.
Parts of Karn are covered in hexagonal crytaline rock formation.
If Gallifrey had similary rock formations it could explain the
importance of hexegons in their mythology.
Gallifrey is known as the Shining World of the Seventh System. On Gallifrey
the second sun rose in the south. Gallifrey's diameter is about 3 times that
of Sol III (Earth). Despite this the
gravity, orbital radius, star type,
pressure, temperature, and oxygen levels are the same as Earth.
As Gallifrey appears to have the same orbit as Alzarius it might be
draw farther from the sun every 50 years by other planets in the
system.
It is the only place in the cosmos where one can find white star
diamonds.
The planet also has a significant amount of Gallifreyan Zinc which is one
of the strongest metals in the universe.
Gallifrey has a moon
called Pazithi Gallifreya which orbits Gallifrey every 27 days.
It exerts a much stronger tidal force on the planet.
In ancient times it was known as the Virgin Moon Goddess. Depending on
conditions
the moon appears to be copper
or ivory or heileotrope
colored and shines even in the sunlight.
This moon has a large supply of Taranium which was mined during the Dark
Time.
Like most places that are shifted out of time, one can still see
constellations of stars in the night skies of Gallifrey, but an observer can
see a billions of years of star movment in just a few minutes.
Some wisps of nebula can be seen in the night sky of Gallifrey.
There are also several artificial satellites that can be seen from the
surface, even during the day.
By the time of Death Comes to Time the constellations around
Gallifrey appear similar to the constellations around Sol III.
gallifreymountians.jpg
garden.jpg
Outer Gallifrey
THE PLANET GALLIFREY
Because it located in Inner Time,
Gallifrey (or maybe just the Death Zone) shows up as no time and no place on
TARDIS insturments.
Despite the fact that Gallifrey has been primed to resist the
effects of entropy,
the planet is very old
and appears quite ancient.
From orbit Gallifrey is the color of rust, with brown lakes
and dust-grey clouds.
There are
three small
oceans
(which were once quite large)
and several seas
but less then half its surface is water. Many of the lakes are gold
colored
(reflecting light from the burnt orange sky?)
Due to the transduction barrier
the sky
is burnt orange
at night
and pearly orange in the day. In addition the sky is often filled with
filled with purple, green, and yellow lights.
Under certain circumstances the sky will also appear blue.
Millions of years after the installation of the Eye of Harmony, very
little of Gallifreys original biosphere survives.
Despite this no animal ever became completely extinct
(They are probably preserved in zoos).
Gallifrey has more then 24 seasons - but they are
similar
(and dry) enough that many claim Gallifrey has no seasons.
The Autumn breezes would blow through the silver leafed trees, creating a
musical effect.
At one point the planet might have been very much like Alzarius
from E-Space and possibly had a Mistfall every 50 years caused by another
planet pulling Gallifrey farther from its sun.
The planet is currently in the midst of an ice age, but in the summer,
Gallifrey's sun is still intense enough to cause sunburn on a human. Despite
the ice age Gallifrey's ice caps are quite tiny
(probably due to the overall lack of water).
Thougn most Gallifreyans never venture outside
the Gallifreyans do make extensive use of weather
control.
There is no argon in the atmosphere. Cloud color ranges from dust-grey to
violet. Most of Gallifrey is burnt red deserts (with orange sand) and
mountains. Many of the river beds are dry. There are some green forests, and
golden fields strewn with ruble - but they make up a minority of the
terrain. In the modern era there are only between 3 and 9 million
Gallifreyans, which leaves many settlements and roads competely abandoned.
Gallifrey's surface is divided up into sectors.
Southern Gallifrey often experiances warm nights where the stars shine.
But there are occationally blizzards.
Southern Gallifrey is
filled with arid planes and
is considered quite
wild and
beautiful.
The River Lethe is located within walking distance of Mount Cadon. The
river Cadonflood is located near Lungbarrow and (as its name implies) is
know to flood from time to time.
Mount
Lung
is located in Southern Gallifrey.
The planet's highest mountain, Mount Cadon
(from which flows the river Cadonflood?)
is found in the southern half of the planet
near the equator.
This snow topped gray-green mountain is located on the continent of Wild
Endeavor and extends to the fringes of Gallifrey's atmosphere (beyond even
the transduction barrier). At some times of the year its slopes are covered
in little blue flowers. It is located within visual sight of
the Capitol which is also found
on the continent of Wild Endeavor
but in the nothern hemisphere.
The bulk of mount Cadon dwarfs the Capitol. The Soonwell Valley is 500
leagues (~3000 km) from the Capitol.
Another important mountain is Mount Plutarch which is near the Lune
Forest and the inland sea.
Lake Abydos might be near House Heartshaven (or Dvora).
This page is the property of William B. Swift (B.S. Productions)
willbswift@hotmail.com