Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I'm a nerd as well. On a weather forum like this you're in good company . I've often wondered and speculated on the climates of alien planets and places depicted in fiction, especially science fiction/space fantasy
...that it could be a really nice discussion topic :
For nerds here, and I count myself in, let's try, based on our observations and extensive climatic knowledge (), to estimate the climates of various places/cities/planets depicted in fiction, whether we're talking about movies, books - why not even video games.
A striking example would be Star Wars which provides us with many different planets, each of them with its very own landscape and climate, e.g.
Hmm. Being a Star Wars fan myself, I would say the planet Hoth is definitely EF, maybe ET at the equator, while Naboo is....Aw due to the large expanse of grassland during the final battle in EP 1. Maybe one could argue it's also a deep Cfa climate as well. Tatooine is BWh, definitely.
In Avatar on Pandora, most of the film takes place in a definitely Af type climate, and one part showed (the one with the red colored tribal chief) what could be either an Aw climate or, it might be a stretch considering what the natives were wearing, a BSh climate
Nice topic. I had no idea that my post would inspire something like this.
As for Tattooine, I think the entire planet has a BWh climate. It's not like the Mojave Desert - it doesn't appear to rain at all in the places we've seen. Hence why they practice moisture farming as opposed to collecting rainwater. It's quite hot on Tattooine, and the temperature probably varies by latitude. It's very likely that it's a dry heat throughout the whole planet. There are a few bodies of water according to the reference books, and there are mountains on the planet, so it's possible, though unlikely, that there could be a few semi-arid pockets. I doubt the climate averages higher than 120F or so in the summer, at least in the inhabited areas. It's possible there could be cooler winters, perhaps getting to around 40F or even below freezing. The heat doesn't seem to be a factor so much as the dryness in the cities that we've seen; however I'd bank on the planet not having much of a winter based on the descriptions of constant, extreme heat from the two suns.
Naboo certainly has a very mild climate, but it isn't necessarily tropical, nor even particularly likely to be tropical. I'd guess it has a well-moderated Cfb or Cfa climate, with temperatures perhaps similar to the deep Mediterranean. The conditions seemed to be described as quite pleasant or warm rather than as hot as a typical tropical climate. It is possible that it could be like some tropical highlands in Africa (something like 75/55F in all months). It could even be a Mediterranean climate (Csa/Csb), but naturally it's hard to tell.
There seems to be a variance in elevation, between the swamps, grasslands, Theed-like elevations, and the mountains Padme wanted to vacation in, so I would take a stab at the climate of the planet:
There is little to no seasonality throughout the planet. At sea level and low elevations the climate is fully tropical, perhaps Af or Aw. The slightly higher elevations or more interior lands would feature an Aw climate which is slightly moderated depending on elevation (Serengeti-like). Higher up towards the capital city the climate morphs into a highland pattern, with seasonless Cfb climates dominating the highlands. If there's a higher level of seasonality there would be some Cfa climates in the transitional elevations. Higher up still would be smaller towns and resorts, which would feature even cooler subtropical highland climates. Depending on the elevation there may be cooler Cfb climates, even Cfc or ET climates at the highest levels. Aridity levels would vary based on elevation, rain shadows, and proximity to moisture sources. There are no arid climates on Naboo, only humid or semi-arid climates.
Kamino is an interesting case. The climate there is what could be described as "ultra-maritime" with torrential rains, low sunshine, and chilly temperatures with a low daily and annual range. The climate type there varies between Cfb, Cfc, and ETf. There don't appear to be any ice caps (EF climates) so any ETf climates would be very moderated, like a cooler Torshavn. There is likely a fully tropical zone close to the equator (Af/Aw), but I imagine the Cfb zone extends far equatorward due to the moderation of an ocean planet.
There are some planets in Star Trek that deserve mention. There was a Xindi-Arboreal colony in Star Trek: Enterprise that bears a striking resemblance to summertime in a boreal climate. It definitely features a taiga forest. From space the whole planet seems to be like that with small or nonexistent ice caps. Winter conditions, assuming Enterprise arrived in summer, are unknown in this place, but I speculate that they aren't very harsh. It's quite possible that this planet has the sort of moderation and small latitudinal thermal gradient typical of Mesozoic Earth or the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum, only a much cooler version.
This would yield in the low latitudes a moderate boreal climate or an "oceanic" climate featuring boreal-type trees (like coastal Norway). This would yield to a boreal climate with cold but still moderate winters in the mid latitudes, and then transitioning over to a colder winter boreal climate in the high latitudes, before perhaps finally transitioning over to a tundra or ice cap climate at the poles. This is based on a cooler version of PETM conditions on Earth, in which most of the world was tropical with progressively cooler winters until the subtropical high latitudes were reached.
There is an ice planet in Star Trek, Exo III, that is decidedly still locked in a sheet of ice. There appears to be no seasonal melting of the ice or animal life on the planet, so there is no limit to how cold it could be (Christine Chapel's miniskirt notwithstanding ). Also, Dr. Korby had very severe frostbite on the planet, which suggests an extremely cold climate. I would venture that the entire planet has an EF climate, with a good chunk of it averaging below -100F, as in simulations of Snowball Earth. Exo III may be even colder than a Snowball Earth, and thus winter temperatures in the colder latitudes would be -200F or colder. This appears to be colder than Hoth and a true ice planet, and I'd vault it to the top of ice planets I've seen.
As for Hoth, the vast majority of the planet has an EF climate, obviously. But the existence of big creatures probably limits the amount of cold, probably not averaging below -80F or so where Echo Base was. This picture suggests open water in some areas, and thus melting of sea ice close to the equator. Thus I'd guess that in the tropical zones Hoth has an ET climate with seasonal melting of sea ice. However, it looks like it's marginal, with temperatures not averaging much above freezing.
Rigel X from Star Trek: Enterprise is another example of an ice planet, but this one looks a lot more moderate than even Hoth, with large areas of tundra.
There is another one I'd like to point out, the planet Rigel XII from The Original Series. Although Memory Alpha claims that pressure domes are necessary for habitation, it is shown several times in the relevant episode that the planet does have breathable air, and people do go outside when conditions are calm (and survival for a few minutes is possible during a magnetic sandstorm). The place obviously has a desert climate, and I would venture to say that there is very little rain (at the mine anyway). I also wouldn't be surprised if the place has large seasonal swings, like a harsher version of Mongolia.
I know this topic is about fictional places, but Patricius, your post got me thinking about the possible climates that exist on the few possible habitable planets. Those would be interesting as well. Maybe would definitely be a great source of inspiration for future sci-fi novels and movies
Yes, really interesting topic. I would add something about Trantor, from Isaac Asimov's Foundation series. It's a pity that the planet is supposed to be inhabited completely underground, so that it has artificial lighting as well as human-controlled temps under the continual series of domes that cover the surface of the planet. But the Imperial Palace is the only (if I'm not wrong) structure located outside the domes, in the open air. The planet as a whole doesn't seem to be particularly cold, especially so because it's located at the center of the Milky Way, where stars are crowded together. (I'm telling this off the top of my head, so some data may be inaccurate).
On the other hand, we could discuss, as theunbrainwashed suggested, something about habitable planets. What about the hypothetical climate of Mars once it is terraformed and adapted for human habitation? I've always wondered what the climates of Mars would be if it was covered in some parts by oceans, and there were vegetation. Surely the most suitable place for humans to settle would be near its equator, but the climates at sea level on Mars would likely resemble Earth's highland equatorial climates.
For Star Trek fans.. I wonder what the climate on the planet "Risa" is.. the vacation planet. Would you say it's Af, Aw or something else?
I'm inclined to say that it's A climate of some type but don't know anything about the rainfall pattern. I do remember saying that the weather was strictly controlled on the planet but I don't know in terms of what those controls are or what the vacationers want?
Also the climates of Andoria and Vulcan are also interesting ones... Vulcan seems like a hot desert world similar to Tatooine of Star Wars but perhaps not as arid and Andoria is an ice world but probably some warmer spots near the equator.
Although, in the show they say the major hurricane only occurs every 20-30 years...i can't exactly show that in 12 month span with averages so the major hurricane comes every year now.
For Star Trek fans.. I wonder what the climate on the planet "Risa" is.. the vacation planet. Would you say it's Af, Aw or something else?
I'm inclined to say that it's A climate of some type but don't know anything about the rainfall pattern. I do remember saying that the weather was strictly controlled on the planet but I don't know in terms of what those controls are or what the vacationers want?
Risa has been explicitly stated to be tropical, at least the parts where the action takes place. There's also tropical vegetation so there's no doubt in my mind. As for the rainfall pattern, it could be anything. Perhaps Aw or As, since the dry and wet seasons may appeal to vacationers (i.e. there would be a dry season for those who wanted heat and sun). Or maybe an Af climate given the strict weather control. I'm inclined towards Aw myself, because as far as I know it never rained in any of the episodes, which would point to a wet and dry climate. High sunshine looks likely. I'd guess Risa is a touch milder than your typical tropical climate, given the "perfect weather description". Perhaps something like 80/60F year-round. It seems to be a version of what everyone would like Florida to be (i.e. a idyllic version of Florida), so perhaps conditions similar to a Miami winter year-round prevail .
Quote:
Also the climates of Andoria and Vulcan are also interesting ones... Vulcan seems like a hot desert world similar to Tatooine of Star Wars but perhaps not as arid and Andoria is an ice world but probably some warmer spots near the equator.
Andoria looks locked in with the ice sheets, but it seems that the equatorial cities are the ones that are inhabited by the "blueskins", and these get above freezing during summer heat waves. So perhaps a climate similar to coastal Antarctica. The Northern Wastes (where the Aenar live) are colder, and it was below 0F even in the middle of summer. Something resembling interior Antarctica is likely in the poleward regions. There was also an ice cutter that circumnavigated the planet, so the ice can't be too thick in the thinnest equatorial regions (not miles thick anyway).
As for Vulcan, it seems to me to be a hot, arid planet with summers usually over 100F and probably winters that are cooler, but without a large seasonal swing. The thinner air possibly leads to a higher daily range than Earth (like 130F by day and 90F by night?).
What about the climate of Dagobah? That place is a tropical swamp, so I'd imagine it's really hot and especially humid there.
A mild rainforest climate in the Pacific NW of the US?
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
), to estimate the climates of various places/cities/planets depicted in fiction, whether we're talking about movies, books - why not even video games.
). Also, Dr. Korby had very severe frostbite on the planet, which suggests an extremely cold climate. I would venture that the entire planet has an EF climate, with a good chunk of it averaging below -100F, as in simulations of Snowball Earth. Exo III may be even colder than a Snowball Earth, and thus winter temperatures in the colder latitudes would be -200F or colder. This appears to be colder than Hoth and a true ice planet, and I'd vault it to the top of ice planets I've seen.
