Velmora is a Class III gas giant orbiting at 2.30 astronomical units from its parent star, with a rapid orbital period of just 14 days — suggesting a compact, warm solar system where the frost line sits unusually close in.
Atmosphere & banding
Velmora's visible surface is dominated by counter-rotating atmospheric bands driven by intense internal heat. The alternating rust-orange and teal-green belts are the result of two chemically distinct air masses:
- Ferric zones (orange-red bands) — iron oxide aerosols and sulfur compounds lofted from deep convective columns, giving the planet its signature warm coloring.
- Cryogen belts (teal-green bands) — cooler, methane-rich layers sitting above the warmer zones, creating dramatic shear boundaries where turbulence is highest.
The temperature differential between adjacent bands can reach 400°C, making Velmora's atmosphere one of the most dynamically violent of its class.
The Thalum vortex
The most defining feature of Velmora is Thalum — a permanent anticyclonic storm system locked in the planet's northern mid-latitudes. With a radius of approximately 1,400 km, Thalum is modest by gas giant standards, but what it lacks in size it makes up for in longevity and intensity.
Unlike Jupiter's Great Red Spot, which is slowly shrinking, Thalum appears to be self-sustaining — fed by a deep convective plume that punches heat upward from Velmora's hot metallic hydrogen interior. Wind speeds at the vortex wall are estimated at 620 m/s, and the eye sits roughly 40 km above the surrounding cloud deck.
The three spiral arms visible in long-exposure imaging are debris streams — captured cloud material being shredded and wound into the storm's rotation over periods of weeks.
Moons
Velmora hosts two confirmed moons:
| Moon | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Keth | Rocky, tidally locked | Heavily cratered, iron-grey surface |
| Soru | Ice-mantled | Subsurface liquid layer suspected; faint plume activity |
Soru in particular is considered a high-priority candidate for further study, given that tidal flexing from Velmora's gravity may be sufficient to maintain liquid water beneath its ice shell.
Tidal locking & climate
Velmora itself is tidally locked to a secondary gravitational resonance with its star, meaning its rotation period is in a 3:2 resonance with its orbit — similar to Mercury. This creates a permanent "hot pole" region where stellar irradiation is concentrated, driving the massive atmospheric circulation patterns that power storms like Thalum.
The surface (or rather, the 1-bar pressure level) averages around +280°C on the day-facing hemisphere and drops sharply toward the terminator zone — a boundary of constant violent weather.