Eris (Kuiper belt)
Position on the route: 32/45 · level needed 400 · journey (Mk0 engine) 81.9 h
By the numbers
| Distance from Sun | 5.7–14.6 billion km |
|---|---|
| Diameter | 2,326 km |
| Mass | 27 % more than Pluto |
| Year | 557 years |
| Temperature | −243 °C |
| Moon | Dysnomia |
| Discovery | 2005, Mike Brown |
The story
Slightly smaller than Pluto but heavier, this body was announced as the ‘tenth planet’ when found in 2005; a year later the International Astronomical Union redefined ‘planet’ and both became dwarf planets. It is named after Eris, goddess of strife: a fitting choice.
Its surface is coated in methane ice and it is one of the brightest bodies in the solar system (albedo 96 %). It is now near the far end of its orbit; in 2257 it will come closer to the Sun than Pluto and may grow a thin atmosphere.
No spacecraft has visited; even at New Horizons’ speed it would take 25 years. The game’s Kuiper belt stop stands for the ‘shore’ of the solar system.
Missions
- Not yet visited; telescopes only (Keck, Hubble, JWST)
Colony note
The farthest solid ground at the edge of the system. The Sun is just a bright star; all-nuclear power, a long winter.
What probes bring back
- Albedo 96 %: coated in methane ice.
- 27 % heavier than Pluto; its moon is Dysnomia.