Ares is a moon orbiting around the gas giant Orbis α Centauri & is the only object large enough to host an atmosphere in the habitable zone of the Centaurus system, at 1.25 AU. it is only slightly larger but far more dense than the 4th planet in the Sol system. It is tidally locked to its primary being only 1/10 the size of Orbis α Centauri. Its orbit is very close to its sister moon Ferrus a cannonball moon (ie: solid iron). Whenever it passes by Ferrus, every 734 million years there is a mass extintion on Ares due to the high (8.64 g) gravity of Ferrus causing tsunamis and warping the crust which makes every volcano erupt at once.
Topographical map of Ares
Inhabitants[]
Life arrived on Ares inside a meteorite only 3 metres long originating from earth 64 million years ago about 1 million years after the dinosaur mass extinction. Scientists calculate that had the body been a planet in the same spot and not a moon of Orbius α Centauri it would have never received the meteorite, which would have over shot Ares by 3 000 000 km. The ocean is plagued by a type of seaweed closely related to Ascophyllum nodosum. On the land since there is nothing to inhibit growth (eg: predators) many of the plants have evolved to have control of motor functions, and one species called the Delions has even reached sentience.
Delions[]
The Delions are humanoid sentient beings in the steel age much like Earth of the 2500's, the only difference is that the Delions are simply plants with motor functions. The Delions have a blue skin colour with patches of green on their head to act as leaves. In 2010 the Delions launched an unmanned mission to Earth which with their current technology would take 100 years to get to there along the most effiecent route, 97 years later the Terrans launched their own probe also on the most effiecent route but had no idea that there was life or even planets in the Centauri system. As the Terrans probe reached the edge of the Kuiper Belt it encountered the delion probe but not being programmed for encountering extra-terrestrial intellegence thought nothing of it, took some photos and was on its way, the Delion probe however was programmed for encountering extra-arestrial life and started broadcasting prerecorded greetings and sent a message back to Ares along with every signal sent to it for the next 8.8 years.
Finally after having an alien spacecraft in orbit for nearly 9 years the Terrans received a message with specs on how to build all of the Delions most advanced technology, from then on peaceful relations were opened up between the Terrans and the Delions.
Topography[]
The highest place on Ares is Mt. Zeus at 9137 m in Many Peaks, a mountain range in the southern half of the largest continent. The lowest point is in Dead Valley at -367 m in the Tharis valleys on the large island in the far NE