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There are two main categories of '''planets''': [[Terrestrial Planet]]s and [[Gas Giant]]s. Some types of Terrestrial Planets support life or meet the conditions necessary for [[terraforming]]. [[Ships]] equipped with the [[Planetary Approach Suite]] may [[Planetary Landings|land on the surface]] of certain Terrestrial Planets.
There are two main categories of '''planets''': [[Terrestrial Planet]]s and [[Gas Giant]]s. Some types of Terrestrial Planets support [[Species|lifeforms]] or meet the conditions for [[terraforming]]. [[Ships]] equipped with the [[Planetary Approach Suite]] may [[Planetary Landings|land on the surface]] of Terrestrial Planets with 0 to tenuous (0.01-0.10) [[Atmosphere|atmospheres]]. Some planets have a [[Planetary Ring System|planetary ring system]].


The term planet refers to celestial bodies orbiting a [[star]] with a [[gravity]] in a specific range. The gravity of a planet has to be strong enough to hold fluids and plastic solids in a stable state (hydrostatic equilibrium) which prevents them from escaping the planet and makes the body round, and low enough to prevent nuclear processes to start as in the stars.
* The [[:Category:Planets|category]] has a list of notable planets.  


Some astronomical objects that meet the official criteria for planet status yet also happen to orbit a planet are instead classified as natural satellites or [[moons]]. When the [[barycentre]] of the planet-moon system falls outside the planet, then both bodies would be considered planets and part of a double-planet system.<ref>[https://www.universetoday.com/85749/is-the-moon-a-planet/ Universe Today: Is The Moon A Planet?]</ref>
== Description ==
The term planet refers to a celestial body that orbits a [[star]] with a [[gravity]] in a specific range. The gravity of a planet must be strong enough to hold fluids and plastic solids in a stable state (hydrostatic equilibrium) which prevents them from escaping the planet and it makes the body round, and low enough to prevent stellar nuclear processes to start.
 
Astronomical objects that meet the official criteria for planet status yet orbit a planet are instead classified as natural satellites or [[moons]]. When the [[barycentre]] of the planet-moon system falls outside the planet, then both bodies are considered planets and part of a double-planet system.<ref>[https://www.universetoday.com/85749/is-the-moon-a-planet/ Universe Today: Is The Moon A Planet?]</ref>


==[[Terrestrial Planet]]s==
==[[Terrestrial Planet]]s==
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|[[Rocky Ice World]]
|[[Rocky Ice World]]
|''Typically formed in the cooler regions of a star system these worlds have a small metal core and thick rocky mantle with a crust of very deep ice. Geological activity is common in these worlds because of the large quantities of volatiles in the crust, often creating a thin, sometimes seasonal atmosphere.''
|''Typically formed in the cooler regions of a star system these worlds have a small metal core and thick rocky mantle with a crust of very deep ice. Geological activity is common in these worlds because of the large quantities of volatiles in the crust, often creating a thin, sometimes seasonal atmosphere.''
|Uncommon
|Common
|[[File:Rocky ice world Wredguia AG-F d11-24 A 7.png|thumb|center]]
|[[File:Rocky ice world Wredguia AG-F d11-24 A 7.png|thumb|center]]
|-
|-
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|[[Ammonia World]]
|[[Ammonia World]]
|''Terrestrial ammonia world with an active ammonia-based chemistry and carbon-ammonia based life.''
|''Terrestrial ammonia world with an active ammonia-based chemistry and carbon-ammonia based life.''
|Very Rare
|Rare
|[[File:Ammonia-World-180px.png|thumb|center]]
|[[File:Ammonia-World-180px.png|thumb|center]]
|-
|-
|[[Water World]]
|[[Water World]]
|''Terrestrial water world with an active water-based chemistry and carbon-water-based life.''
|''Terrestrial water world with an active water-based chemistry and carbon-water-based life.''
|Rare
|Uncommon
|[[File:Water.jpg|thumb|center]][[File:Water world Wredguia ZI-M b36-0 5.png|thumb|center]]
|[[File:Water.jpg|thumb|center]][[File:Water world Wredguia ZI-M b36-0 5.png|thumb|center]]
|-
|-
|[[Earth-like world]]
|[[Earth-like world]]
|''Outdoor world with a human-breathable atmosphere and indigenous life. The atmosphere is far from chemical equilibrium as a result.''
|''Outdoor world with a human-breathable atmosphere and indigenous life. The atmosphere is far from chemical equilibrium as a result.''
|Very Rare
|Rare
|[[File:Earthlike.png|thumb|center]]
|[[File:Earth-like World Kyaraben.jpg|thumb|center]]
|}
|}


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|Class II gas giant
|Class II gas giant
|''Class II gas giants have primarily hydrogen and helium atmospheres. Water vapour in the upper cloud layers gives them a much higher albedo. Their surface temperature is typically up to or around 250 K.''
|''Class II gas giants have primarily hydrogen and helium atmospheres. Water vapour in the upper cloud layers gives them a much higher albedo. Their surface temperature is typically up to or around 250 K.''
|Rare
|Uncommon
|[[File:Class II gas giant HIP 53248 AB 1.png|thumb|center]]
|[[File:Class II gas giant HIP 53248 AB 1.png|thumb|center]]
|-
|-
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|Class IV gas giant
|Class IV gas giant
|''Class IV gas giants have primarily hydrogen and helium atmospheres with carbon monoxide and upper clouds of alkali metals above lower cloud layers of silicates and iron compounds, hence the brighter colours. The temperature of their upper cloud layers is typically above 900 K.''
|''Class IV gas giants have primarily hydrogen and helium atmospheres with carbon monoxide and upper clouds of alkali metals above lower cloud layers of silicates and iron compounds, hence the brighter colours. The temperature of their upper cloud layers is typically above 900 K.''
|Uncommon
|Rare
<small>(Common in systems with stars of class A or higher)</small>
|[[File:Gas-Giant-Class-IV-180px.png|thumb|center]]
|[[File:Gas-Giant-Class-IV-180px.png|thumb|center]]
|-
|-
|Class V gas giant
|Class V gas giant
|''Class V gas giants have primarily hydrogen and helium atmospheres, with thick clouds of silicates and iron compounds, even metallic iron.They are the hottest type of gas giants with temperatures at their upper cloud decks above 1400 K, and much hotter in the lower layers, often emitting a dull glow from the internal heat within.''
|''Class V gas giants have primarily hydrogen and helium atmospheres, with thick clouds of silicates and iron compounds, even metallic iron.They are the hottest type of gas giants with temperatures at their upper cloud decks above 1400 K, and much hotter in the lower layers, often emitting a dull glow from the internal heat within.''
|Very Rare
|Rare
<small>(Common in systems with stars of class A or higher)</small>
|[[File:Gas Giant Class V.png|thumb|center]]
|[[File:Gas Giant Class V.png|thumb|center]]
|-
|-
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|''Helium gas giants have primarily a helium atmosphere. They have lost most or all of their hydrogen because they have insufficient mass to hold on to it over time. It may also be because temperatures in their past were much higher, driving off the hydrogen at a greater rate.''
|''Helium gas giants have primarily a helium atmosphere. They have lost most or all of their hydrogen because they have insufficient mass to hold on to it over time. It may also be because temperatures in their past were much higher, driving off the hydrogen at a greater rate.''
|Extremely Rare
|Extremely Rare
(Report discoveries to explorer groups)
|[[File:Helium-rich Gas Giant.png|thumb|center]]
|[[File:Helium-rich Gas Giant.png|thumb|center]]
|-
|-
|Gas giant with ammonia-based life
|Gas giant with ammonia-based life
|''Gas giant with ammonia-based life. This is primarily a hydrogen and helium-based atmospheric gas giant, but a little below the surface cloud layers, life exists based in the ammonia-cloud layer. The chemistry of this gaseous region is far from equilibrium, with a surprising excess of oxygen and many carbon-based compounds giving it some vivid colours. As with many such gaseous living systems, it is underpinned by vast quantities of free-floating radioplankton - tiny carbon-based algae, each retaining a small quantity of liquid ammonia, extracting their energy from the intense radiation flux.''
|''Gas giant with ammonia-based life. This is primarily a hydrogen and helium-based atmospheric gas giant, but a little below the surface cloud layers, life exists based in the ammonia-cloud layer. The chemistry of this gaseous region is far from equilibrium, with a surprising excess of oxygen and many carbon-based compounds giving it some vivid colours. As with many such gaseous living systems, it is underpinned by vast quantities of free-floating radioplankton - tiny carbon-based algae, each retaining a small quantity of liquid ammonia, extracting their energy from the intense radiation flux.''
|Very Rare
|Uncommon
|[[File:Gas giant with ammonia-based life Wredguia EP-K b37-0 3.png|thumb|center]]
|[[File:Gas giant with ammonia-based life Wredguia EP-K b37-0 3.png|thumb|center]]
|-
|-
|Gas giant with water-based life
|Gas giant with water-based life
|''Gas giant with water-based life. This is primarily a hydrogen and helium based atmospheric gas giant, but not far below the surface exists life based in the water-cloud layer just below the atmospheric surface. The chemistry of this gaseous region is far from equilibrium, with a surprising excess of oxygen and many carbon-based compounds giving it some vivid colours. As with many such gaseous living systems, it is underpinned by vast quantities of free-floating radioplankton - tiny carbon-based algae, each retaining a small quantity of liquid water, extracting their energy from the intense radiation flux.''
|''Gas giant with water-based life. This is primarily a hydrogen and helium based atmospheric gas giant, but not far below the surface exists life based in the water-cloud layer just below the atmospheric surface. The chemistry of this gaseous region is far from equilibrium, with a surprising excess of oxygen and many carbon-based compounds giving it some vivid colours. As with many such gaseous living systems, it is underpinned by vast quantities of free-floating radioplankton - tiny carbon-based algae, each retaining a small quantity of liquid water, extracting their energy from the intense radiation flux.''
|Rare
|Uncommon
|[[File:Gas giant with water-based life Wredguia EP-K b37-0 4.png|thumb|center]]
|[[File:Gas giant with water-based life Wredguia EP-K b37-0 4.png|thumb|center]]
|-
|-
|Water Giant
|Water Giant
|''Water giant. Worlds like this have a large atmosphere made mainly of water vapour. It most likely formed when a large icy body warmed up enough to evaporate a large amount of its surface ice, this would in turn trigger a runaway greenhouse effect leading to a very thick atmosphere made of the evaporated ices.''
|''Water giant. Worlds like this have a large atmosphere made mainly of water vapour. It most likely formed when a large icy body warmed up enough to evaporate a large amount of its surface ice, this would in turn trigger a runaway greenhouse effect leading to a very thick atmosphere made of the evaporated ices.''
|Very Rare
|Rare
|[[File:Water Giant.png|thumb|center]]
|[[File:Water Giant.png|thumb|center]]
|}
== Features ==
{| class="wikitable unsortable" style="text-align:center;" border="1"
|-
!Type
!Description
!Rarity
!Image
|-
|Dwarf planet
|''A dwarf planet orbits a [[Stars|star]] and has sufficient mass and [[gravity]] for a round shape, but it does not clear its orbital neighborhood of debris. Their orbital path is shared with other space objects and rocks. Dwarf planets are very common in the galaxy. Examples of dwarf planets in [[Sol]]: [[Haumea]], [[Makemake]], [[Persephone]], [[Pluto]], [[Salacia]], [[Sedna]].''
|Common
|[[File:Makemake.jpg|thumb|center]]
|-
|[[Atmosphere|Tenuous atmosphere]]
|''Planets with tenuous atmospheres have surface pressures well below Earth, ranging from thin exospheres (where gases rarely collide) to denser, transient envelopes. Tenuous atmospheres are common for rocky and icy bodies, because they are a natural equilibrium between atmospheric generation and atmospheric loss.''
|Common
|[[File:Water Atmosphere ED 1.jpg|thumb|center]]
|-
|Thick fog effect
|''Rocky bodies can have a thick fog effect that covers the surface.''<ref name=":0">[https://www.reddit.com/r/EliteDangerous/comments/1wv39j2/the_fogsuper_atmosphere_mystery_of_hip_87621/ The FOG/super atmosphere mystery of HIP 87621 solved!] -SeawolvesTV - 4 Dec 2020 - Reddit</ref> ''For example "[[HIP 87621]] 2 B B" has around 400 meter high, thick fog.''<ref name=":0" /><ref>[https://inara.cz/elite/starsystem-bodies/4414405/ HIP 87621] - Star System - INARA</ref> This effect is caused by flying inside the eclipse zone of a rocky body with a water atmosphere.<ref name=":1">[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mtm03vCjH1s The FOG/super atmosphere mystery of HIP 87621 solved!] - VRFlorian - 2 October 2026</ref> ''The fog is an aerosol made of tiny liquid water droplets or ice crystals in the air.'' ''These conditions are rare.''<ref name=":0" />
|Rare
|[[File:Thick Fog HIP 87621 2 B B.jpg|thumb|center]]
|-
|Tidally locked
|''Tidally locked planets have a matching rotation period with the host star. One hemisphere has perpetual daylight while the other has only night. The [[Moon]] is also tidally locked to [[Earth]].''
|Rare
|[[File:Tidally Locked Earth-like World.jpg|thumb|center]]
|}
|}


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File:Elite Dangerous- Odyssey - Exploration Montage - Episode 7
File:Elite Dangerous- Odyssey - Exploration Montage - Episode 7
File:Elite Dangerous - Relax in Space 1 Ambient Music Deep Relaxation & Meditation & Sleep & Chill Out
File:Elite Dangerous - Relax in Space 1 Ambient Music Deep Relaxation & Meditation & Sleep & Chill Out
File:4 HOURS of Spaceflight with AMBIENT MUSIC in ELITE DANGEROUS
File:A new BLUE FOG mystery on HIP 87621?! Something very unusual happened here...
File:The Blue Phenomenon - Dense Planetary Atmosphere - Elite Dangerous Odyssey
</gallery>
</gallery>


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