Asterra System

Binary stellar system · 10 planets · Former home of the Alf people

Primary star — Asterra

The Asterra star system is dynamically stable and long-settled. Most permanent infrastructure predates the loss of Ytharia and was designed for extended autonomous operation.

1. Keth

Keth exhibits permanent hemispheric contrast — the dayside faces continuous stellar radiation while the nightside remains cold and shielded. Never intended for habitation, it functioned solely as an inner-system industrial node.

Mining operations

Operational depth	Peak staff	Automation
300–1,200 m	<400	HIgh

Facilities: subsurface, hardened · Power: orbital solar collectors and compact reactors

2. Ytharia

The only planet in the Asterra system known to support complex native life. Ytharia was the historical and cultural origin point of the Alf people.

Orbital station

Orbital altitude	Ring diameter	Pre-loss pop	Capital berths
~42,000 km	~11 km	~180,000	~10

Elaris (Major) & Tirien (Minor)

Radius	~1,720 km	Radius	~720 km
Mass	0.94 Luna	Distance	~610,000 km
Distance	~410,000 km	Period	69.2 days
Period	34.6 days	Resonance	2:1 with Elaris
Base capacity	~25,000	Inclination	3.1°

Companion star — Carmyn

Carmyn is the red companion star of the Asterra binary system, orbiting at a wide separation that renders it a naked-eye fixture in Ytharia's night sky — a dim but constant red point, distinct from the stars of the broader field. Its slow drift across centuries of recorded observation made it a cultural and navigational reference point long before its stellar nature was understood.