planet with index 04 at 5469264, 6372338, -331449
DISCOVERED BY SHADOWSTAR ON 6011:605.228 THIS IS A FASCINATING PLANET. THIS WORLD APPEARS TO HAVE AN UNUSUAL WEATHER SYSTEM WHICH CAUSES AN ABUNDANCE OF WEATHER AROUND THE EQUATOR OF THE PLANET. THIS COULD BE RELATED TO THE FACT THAT THE POLAR ICE CAPS HAVE APPARENTLY MELTED, COVERING THE SURFACE OF THE PLANET IN WATER. DESPITE THIS, THE PLANETARY CLIMATE IS ACTUALLY QUITE COOL. DISCOVERED INTERESTING AMPHIBIOUS ANIMALS WHICH BEAR A RESEMBLANCE TO A RABBIT, WHICH SEEMS TO CONSTANTLY SWIM. THIS COULD INDICATE THAT THE FLOODING OF THE PLANET WAS A RECENT PHENOMENON, AND THE LIFEFORMS HAVE ADAPTED FROM LAND-BASED ANIMALS INTO AN AMPHIBIOUS FORM. ON ANOTHER EXPEDITION, I ENCOUNTERED LARGE, MESA-LIKE ISLANDS WITH STEEP CLIFFS AND NO BEACHES OR SHORELINES. THIS SUPPORTS THE THEORY THAT THE PLANET'S FLOODING WAS RECENT. FUTHERMORE, IT WOULD SEEM THAT THE FLOODING WAS NOT A RESULT OF POLAR ICE CAPS MELTING DUE TO PLANETARY HEAT, BASED ON THE PLANET'S DISTANCE FROM ITS SUN. POSSIBLY UNNATURAL PHENOMENON? MADE ANOTHER TRIP TO THE PLANET. LANDED IN THE STORMY EQUATORIAL REGION. DURING LANDING, I SPOTTED SOMETHING WHICH APPEARED TO BE FLOATING ON THE WATER IN THE FAR DISTANCE. I ATTEMPTED TO SWIM TO IT, BUT LOST TRACK OF IT IN THE STORM. ON TAKEOFF, I WAS ABLE TO LOCATE THE OBJECT, BUT I COULD SWEAR IT WAS MOVING UPWARD, AT NEARLY THE SAME SPEED AS MY LANDING POD. IT DID NOT DEVIATE FROM ITS FLIGHT LIKE MOST AVIAN LIFEFORMS. UNFORTUNATELY, I WAS UNABLE TO IDENTIFY THE OBJECT. FROM MY POINT OF VIEW, IT APPEARED ONLY AS A SMALL SPECK OF LIGHT, THOUGH IT WAS QUITE BRIGHT. I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT IT WAS, BUT I HAVE CONSIDERED THE POSSIBILITY THAT IT WAS A FELLOW EXPLORER'S LANDING POD. BUT I SUPPOSE I WILL NEVER KNOW FOR SURE. THEN AGAIN, MAYBE I'VE BEEN BEEN A BIT TOO CARELESS IN MY HUNTING OF LIFEFORMS. WILL HAVE TO MAKE A MORE DETERMINED EFFORT TO AVOID POSSIBLE NARCOTIC FOOD SOURCES... VISITED SOME OF THE LARGER ISLANDS TO THE NORTH. FOUND A NICE HILLY AREA COVERED IN VARIOUS BRIGHT-RED FLORA. THESE ISLANDS ARE SMOOTH AND COVERED IN ROLLING HILLS, WHICH IS DIFFERENT FROM THE SMALLER, BROKEN, CLIFF-LIKE ISLANDS FOUND IN THE OCEAN OF THE PLANET.