The Isla Project:
Visions of Another World
Nature documentaries from an alien planet. Celebrating the beauty of science while probing the depths of the human imagination.
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Understanding
The Planet Isla
Tidal Locking
In order to understand the conditions on Isla’s surface, its important to first understand the unique way that the planet orbits its star. This alien world is tidally locked, which means that its rate of rotation around its axis is synched with its stellar orbit. The planet makes one full rotation in the time it takes to fully revolve around its red dwarf parent, resulting in a year and day which are equal in length. As it orbits, one hemisphere of the planet is constantly exposed to the light and heat of its star, while the opposite hemisphere is kept in a perpetual frigid darkness. This extreme gradient is responsible for the bizarre conditions which govern life on the Isla.
Through tidal locking, we see the planet take on an extreme temperature gradient between its northern and southern poles. This variability fuels a constant cycling of warm and cold air through the atmosphere, making Isla…
A World Bombarded by Wind
Lighting on the planet Isla is static - the star on the horizon never sets, and the energy it casts down on the surface is perpetual. Shadows cast onto the ground are unmoving, while surfaces bathed in light offer unmatched access to energy and warmth.
These conditions create environments which are shaped by the presence or absence of light. Some organisms fight for exposure to the nourishment provided by Isla’s star, while others take shelter in shaded areas, and harness alternative sources of energy.
Kinetosynthetic organisms (also known as Kinets) use Isla’s constant winds as a source of sustenance. Kinet species extend long organs known as kites into the atmosphere above, which catch the wind, and oscillate as a result of the pulling force. Ultimately, this motion powers the binding of carbon from the air into sugars, which spur kinets continued survival and success across Isla.
While most life on Isla can be found in the strip of land between the two climatic hemispheres…
…Species can still be found on the dark antistellar side of the planet…
…And the hot, windswept substellar regions host all kinds of resilient organisms as well.
Explore Some of Isla’s Major Ecosystems
Spore Forest
Sand Plains
Badlands
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