2023 Big Picture

[sanbie]

I use Ccleaner to clean my computer...I have yet to find any files in my tmp folders...I added the poser one to my include list and it automatically does it...

[darkangel]

I will choose the winner later today.

[darkangel]

OMG there was no images posted for JULY????


Well then guess I won't have a winner as yet. Not sure what Agent plans for August theme if any...Get to posting LOL

[Agent0013]

Seems that this thread gets the least postings. That said, here is one from me. I also wrote a rather lengthy short story for it.



Binary Habitable Moons


As we humans move greater distances into the galaxy our homeworld is in, we soon find a star system near the Flame and Horsehead Nebulae. In that system we discover a gas giant planet orbiting one of its two stars in the habitable zone. The second star is about half a lightyear from this one. Orbiting that planet, which has a substantial ring system, similar to that of Sol's Planet Saturn's ring system, we find two Earth sized habitable moons, that are locked into a binary relationship with each other. These moons complete one orbit around their common center of gravity in exactly 36 hours. The two moons are also tidally locked, with one side always facing the other moon. As they orbit each other their day is as long as that orbit; 36 hours. Together they also orbit the gas giant planet, in an orbit that takes 40 of their 36 hour days to complete; which is quite a long month. An eclipse of the star occurs when the gas giant planet comes between the two moons and the star that is their primary. If the two moons are aligned with the planet at that time, they see the eclipse at the same time. Otherwise the eclipse is seen first by one moon and then the other. The eclipses occur several times each year, equal to the amount of their months in their year, which is about 320 of the binary moon's days.
Sitting here as I make my survey report, I am calculating the time as reckoned by the length of their days, months, and years. I find that they have exactly 8 months, each with 40 of their 36 hour days, which means each year sees 8 eclipse events involving the gas giant planet. There will also be as many as four eclipses per year involving times when each of the two moons pass between their primary star and the other moon in the binary. Thus each of their years can show as many as 10 eclipses for each moon of the binary.
We have determined that both of these moons are already inhabited by intelligent beings with fairly advanced civilizations. The odd thing is that it seems that the same intelligent species inhabit both worlds, yet we have seen no evidence of space travelling capabilities. We cannot determine which world was the original homeworld. More is the fact that both worlds' cultures are very similar, suggesting that they, in some unknown way, can communicate with each other; yet we have been unable to detect any means of that communication. Oddly, both do have communications that are broadcast worldwide, but their signals cannot reach far enough to be picked up by the other world. Also quite odd is that their technology is so similar that it must have been developed together as one technology system. How this can be when it seems there is no current connection between the two cultures is a mystery we may be unable to solve. Even their systems of government are so similar as to be practically the same on both worlds.
One possibility was put forth by a group of scientists aboard the Magellan; that an alien species may have moved a large part of their population to the other moon, but listening to their broadcasts, we never got even the slightest hint that such an event ever occurred. It would seem that references of some type would be made concerning an event of such magnitude. Another hypothesis postulates that perhaps once in the not too distant past, they did have space travel capabilities, which they used to send members of their species to the other moon, to alleviate high population numbers, yet there is no reference to such an event in the records of either culture. And to top things off, neither world seems to know about the people on the other moon. So in the light of that, the fact that both cultures are almost identical in structure makes no sense whatsoever. Another oddity is the fact that the spoken language on both worlds is almost totally the same. And still, there is the fact that our sensors are unable to detect any evidence of space travel technologies of any kind, anywhere on either world, or even within those two moons. Both even have flight technology that matches in advancement, but neither can reach space with that technology. It even seems that they are not even thinking about developing a way to go into space. Though their broadcast technology is advanced enough to make space travel possible, and even to send up small artificial satellites, there is no apparent interest in doing so. My own hypothesis is that they are in contact with each other, but through telepathy only. And that may not be able to be determined either, so long as we are unable to directly communicate with members of their species.
Then we must think about the fact that one other habitable moon is also orbiting this same gas giant planet, yet none of their people are found on that moon. In fact, that moon is not host to any intelligent species. That moon is about 4/5 the size of Earth, and we are in the process of making it our base of operations as we study the Binary Moons, trying to learn how the mysterious pair is occupied by the same species, with very similar technology, and cultures, yet have no detectable connection with each other. As we have a strict policy against contact with species not yet travelling in space, and especially if they are not travelling in interstellar space, we cannot make contact with them in any way, not even disguised as one of them, since they are so different from any species that are part of our crew, that no disguise is even possible. So we must learn what we can without revealing our presence in their system. Our occupation of their other habitable moon is a risk we must take, in order to learn what we can about the species. In the meantime, we must wait until they have interstellar space travel capabilities, and we have no idea of when that may happen, if ever. If and when it does happen, we will finally be making contact with them.

[Llola Lane]

I very rarely create artwork bigger than 1024x1024... I'm a simple gal with simple scenes...

Love your story and artwork Agent... Thanks for sharing :)

[Agent0013]

Everything in the image was modelled and textured by me, except the nebulae backdrop, which is an astro-photo I enhanced in PD Howler 12. The gas giant planet and the two habitable moons were made by me in Bryce 7.1 Pro. The starship was modelled by me in Wings 3D, and textures were assigned in Bryce. Post work was done in PD Howler.

[sanbie]

    Congratulations on your render getting a placement at Fantasy Attic

[Agent0013]

  Congratulations on your render getting a placement at Fantasy Attic

Thanks, Sanbie! I really did not expect it, because to me there were several images that were better than any of mine. I was just competing for the fun of seeing what the other competitors could do in my favorite genre of Science Fiction.
I did have a lot of fun in that gallery. There were some conversations between myself and certain other competitors, and that was a lot of fun. Seems I am not the only fan of a certain vendor's modelling abilities. I'm talking about Kibarreto, who has modeled several spaceships with full interiors, and all of them look awesome. One other artist in the contest was using his models also, like I was. It was awesome seeing what he could do, and comparing his work to mine. He also showed me how to do some things with those models you rarely see; turning them into shipwrecks! Makes the potential of those models even greater. I think Kibarreto is a vendor on a high quality level, and I aspire to be even half as good as he is. Gonna take a lot of fun work to reach such a level as his. Woo Hoo! More fun to be had for me!
Cheers!

[jammixx]

Great image Agent!  The story presents quite a puzzle.

[Agent0013]

Thanks, Jammixx.