Maybe in a world with a low pressure sea level, the people there would believe the afterlife was on the peaks of mountains, and you can't go there and survive. Maybe monks would do mountain climbing and prepare for their final climb as they get old.
So, if pressure is too high, highlands become islands and you'll need zeppelins to travel between them or a diver's suit? And fires will be infernal? Nice.
One interesting thing regarding fires is that whether an atmosphere is breathable depends mostly on the partial pressures of different gases, while the severity of fires depends on the concentration of oxygen - so a 2 atm, 10% oxygen atmosphere should be more or less just as breathable for humans as a 0.5 atm, 40% oxygen atmosphere (as long as for the first, you do not choose argon, krypton or xenon as your inert gas), but the former will have much less intense and the latter much more intense fires than Earth - and in the latter, boiling food would take quite a bit longer, as there water boils at only 82°C.
I remember thinking up a similar setting back in high school. It started with me thinking how cool an Icarus-style flight suit would be. I eventually got to the conclusion that it would only make sense in a world filled with highlands and they became the main transport method for soldiers(I thought it would've been an awesome game mechanic)
Does depend on the tech level of your society too any society with a post industrial revolution level would have the means to engineer solutions to this problem compressors, CO2 scrubbers etc everything that one would need to solve this could be built with that tech level.
And don't forget the giant insects! EDIT: A crappy pro tip: having roach problems? Just buy lots of oxygen tanks and increase the O2 concentration in your house. The roaches will get so big that they will be unable to fit in all the cracks and drawers. Of course, they would probably be super hard to kill because of how big that they get.
+Ratchet4647 There's actually two posts by xkcd you might want to check out on this topic: An actual comic strip - xkcd.com/620/ And an entry in the great what-if series - what-if.xkcd.com/30/
It'd be cool if you could add a calculation for the Karman Line on the spreadsheet. This is the altitude where an aircraft trying to stay up by lift has to be going at orbital speeds because the atmosphere is so thin. On Earth, it's 100 km and it is how we define where space begins. We don't define space by just picking an arbitrarily low atmospheric pressure.
As the round number indicates, this is just some back of the envelope calculation, too. Karman himself used 300000 feet first, which was also a round number but a different one ;) I mean, think about it: the amount of lift an object generates at a given speed depends heavily on its shape. So what plane are we talking about here for this oh-so-objective definition?
Though, that depends on not just the atmosphere, but also on the planet's gravity - a planet with, say, only two thirds of Earth's escape velocity would have its Kármán Line at a significantly lower pressure (and thus density) than Earth's. Though, for a rough estimate, I think you could take the density of Earth's atmosphere at the Kármán Line (~1.3*10^-8 kg/m^3), and multiply by the square root of the low orbit velocity relative to Earth's (due to the v^2 dependence of lift).
+Artifexian One can build worlds that run on magic. But if we want one that runs on the rules of this universe as we understand them, what you call "worldbuilding" _is_ (mostly) science. And used in the search for extraterrestrial life.
Artifexian Isn't part of the point of Artifexian, alongside learning about world-building, is to use world-building as a tool for learning about science, languages, cultures, societies and more? I believe I remember you saying that once (in other words). Isn't it thus worth it to go the extra mile so that the audience can learn more than just the basics?
Thinking of your video _Do Mountains Alter Speech?_ : An atmosphere with low oxygen concentration might promote languages with ejective sounds as they need less air to articulate. Also dense atmospheres might give rise to languages with more subtle phoneme distinctions (like distinction between aspirated and unaspirated consonants, complex tonal patterns etc.), as spoken language is easier to hear.
If you've just climbed a mountain, it may well have altered your speech pattern and word choice. Expect speech between gasping and increased use of impolite terminology.
Silbo Gomero, the famous whistle language was evolved because La Gomera is full of mountains and valleys. The sounds of whistles can travel very far which allows locals to communicate despite great distances.
One thing to note is that these atmospheric habitability boundaries only apply to humans - you can probably go (quite) a bit outside these bounds, especially regarding concentrations of things like CO2 and trace gases to have the atmosphere breathable for the native species (as, obviously, any species will be able to breathe the atmosphere it involved in without issues) but not to any human explorers, á la Avatar.
Ooohh, that sounds nice! One thing I wonder about is how much different you can make an atmosphere look while still having it habitable for Earth-similar life - like, say, one where the inert gas content is mostly noble gases, instead of nitrogen (though you of course still need some nitrogen probably).
Check out this thread: worldbuilding.stackexchange.com/questions/10448/if-we-put-humans-on-planets-with-atmospheres-different-from-earths-atmosphere Tl;dr to much inert gases lead to narcosis and asphyxiation
Yeah, I know about the inert gas narcosis issues - what I was saying is that I doubt the specific limits that apply to humans are universal, and other species would likely have different limits of tolerance (though the ratio between the tolerable limits for the different inert gases might be more or less universal, as that seems to be a function of gas molar mass). Also, another interesting inert gas effect that is important for interplanetary explorers: You have to do a slow acclimatisation if you transition from an atmosphere with a high nitrogen (might apply to other inert gases too, not sure about that) partial pressure to one with a lower one, as otherwise you risk the dissolved nitrogen in your blood coming out of solution as gas bubbles, which isn't really healthy.
Combining a whole bunch of things together: Could you have a high-oxygen world, and in that world have a forest/savanna with green skies? I was thinking of an habitat with constant, big wildfires, big enough that the atmosphere nearby would have a whole bunch of water vapour. In that place, flying microscopical algae would have evolved to live of that water vapour and CO2 produces by the wildfires, and a big concentration of them would make the sky green. Imagine how cool it would be for explorers to find an untouched land of green sky!
I appreciate how you flavored the worldbuilding (atmo-building?) approach with a dash of gas dynamics and biology as they exist for our real Earth. (I'm an aerospace engineer, and I'm quite pleased with the due diligence you've shown for the chemistry in this topic.) You've established just enough of a foundation in the hard science without plunging into the deep end. You have really done your homework. It also goes without saying that your spreadsheet is a powerful tool - anyone can create a plausible world without a science PhD. Excellent video!
Amazing video! The part about the effects of relatively minor changes to earth's atmospheric composition was really exciting! Not only for world building but also when thinking about exoplanets.
What I love about this is one particular thing. Those lowland areas don't have to be hot, but could still be toxic. I expect them to be filled with trees. But all it takes is one tree to evolve like a eucalyptus tree... It'd be like a volcano. A new natural disaster, planet specific because of that exact weather phenomenon.
"I'd strongly recommend keeping things the same as Earth" Instructions unclear, building Xenon atmosphere where microbes perform exotic photosynthesis and move oxygen from Silicon to Xenon forming heat-sensitive explosive Xenon Tetra-Oxide near the poles and powerful oxidizing Xenon trioxide closer to the equator.
@@smartart6841 No, they're almost like inflatable jets that use a near plastic like cartilage skeleton to move pinched spots that act like joints in their cephalon-wings.
Your videos are really cool and inspirational! I love how they can make worlds feel more believable by giving them a sense of being grounded in science and realism. Being able to have small details such as how the air might taste, what the gravity and air density is, or what exact shade the sky might be makes it so much more immersive through the power of imagery and an impression of plausibility! Really cool stuff.
OMG OMG you've solved a world-building problem I've been grappling with mentally for years--how to make partial flight/gliding/big jumping possible for human-like creatures. I'd always assumed it would require a low-gravity planet, but your high density air solution is so much more poetic!
I seriously don't understand how you get so few views and have so few subscribers. Your videos are of such a high quality, you should be 10 to 100 times more successful. I really hope one day you get the popularity you deserve.
Wow, what an awesome tool your atmospheric spreadsheet is. Fantastic idea period. Love your channel every time. As someone designing a world w/ echolocating aliens and a 27% O2 atmosphere w/ 1.47 atm @ MSL, I had totally spaced on how that thicker atmosphere enhances sound carrying ability. (Just this week me & my creature artist are discussing that creature's ears....) The whole extra CO2 makes lowlands potentially toxic thing was a wicked detail to include. XD This video made me feel like when I was reading Poul Anderson's "A World Named Cleopatra". Sooooo much usable info. Keep the incredible work, sir.
Is also of note the implications, that that would have on cooking, as in a higher pressure the boiling point of water is going to be higher. In a 1,7 atm the boiling point would be at around 115°C (for comparison, a pressure cooker cooks at approximately 2 atm at 121°C). So anything cooked or steamed would cook in less time. Saunas would have to be drier or you would risk death, or they would only be possible at high altitudes. In low pressures on the other hand, pressure cookers could have developed earlier, or the cuisine could have been more filled with grilled, broiled and fried foods.
Edgar, 1) Salaam. You frickin rock. 2) I'm going to get through worldbuilding & conlang before I make a choice on Patreon, but I've kicked in for things I find less entertaining, so.. yeah. 3) With all modesty, I'm one of the smartest people I know, and you've got me beat by a Klom or ten. I am really enjoying learning from you.
2:11actually, The concept of tidal downsizing is what actually would have puffed up the Atmosphere to the point where solar winds could blow it away. We see this happen with Neptune like planets around M-g type stars, and that's also how we can get some habitable worlds. So Earth when it formed, was a Gas giant. The tidal downsizing with drew Earth closer warmed it up, the sun had recently ignited and was producing far more heat and radiation then it is now, which could have turned Earth into a Hot Neptune, it would also explain why our atmosphere contains hydrogen (even though most scientists say Earth can't hold onto it, yet the exosphere is still pure hydrogen) and would also explain Earths Density as Gas giant cored, specificly ice giant cores are usually denser.
Oh this was amazing, Edgar :D This make me wonder about the Myst series when Ghen was tweaking worlds in his books, devastating the local populations. I have to wonder what atmospheric effects he might have ended up with. I am going to have to resist the urge to start messing around with the atmosphere of the world in my books, lol.
Great video as always! You're always suprising me with when you upload, was just thinking that you were cryogenically freezing again, but turns out you have a very important topic in worldbuilding explained: Atmospheres. Just continue doing your own thing at your own pace, I can see this channel getting a quarter million subscribers in no time if you continue your awesomeness!:)
One thing one should keep in mind is that boiling and melting temperature change if you change the pressure. The higher the pressure, the higher the temperature needed for boiling and melting, the lower the pressure, the lower the temperature. For the example of water: If the pressure is low enough you can have water vapor at 0°C or 32°F. If it's high enough, water can be frozen at 0°C/32°F. But not normal Ice, but Ice VI for example. There are 17 different forms of ice that can be created with differences in pressure and temparature! Also, at a certain pressure and temperature there is no difference between fluid and gaseous H2O. And that's just water! If you really want to create a world with a different pressure then the earth which also should be physically correct, you should consider all this
7:16 Fun fact: On Titan, the gravity is so low, and the atmosphere is so dense, that you would actually fly a little bit if you flapped your arms hard enough.
Awesome!!! Now I can explain why there are giants, larger then life animals/bugs, and elf-arachnoid centaurs on my world. Also, now I can figure out a whole lot more about how my world works. I was thinking it would be cool to have, either in ancient times or on one of the moons, a place where smiths were able to have a natural forge instead of building one.
6:04 How did you figure that out? I don't get how you're supposed to convert the habitable atm into those habitable distances below and above sea level.
Fun fact: If you were to build a pressurised dome (at 1atm) on the moon, big enough to fly around in, you could probably fly around in it by attaching some wings on your arms.
i think it may be best set to a kind of compilation video of a bunch of small ideas. though there IS a lot to be done with counting systems, surprisingly... there isn't. but artifexian, if you're reading this, please make sure to mention *balanced* counting systems, imagine this, base 3: 0 1 2 10 11 12 20 21 22 100... using t for some -1 digit, forbidding 2, counting in base 3 becomes: 0 1 1t 10 11 1tt 1t0 1t1 10t 100... and, in fact, this means that subtraction and - in general aren't necessary, as a negative number simply begins with t. Another consideration is balanced *even* bases, which i have done a lot of work on personally.
Say, have you done a video about how to build Galaxies? As in, how do you take all the stars, planets, etc. that you've built and put them together into a galaxy? I've been checking the channel, but I don't think I've seen such. (If there isn't, I hope the Patrons consider it for a future topic. =) )
I'm doing some donut planet stuff and I was looking for other ways to spice it up. I think I'll make it so the inner equitorial societies have achieved human flight to some extent. Storms will be nasty, but they are bound to have some cool caves and stuff with all those mountains. I was also looking for a way to start conflict in this story, so if the main character is out flying and gets caught in an unforeseen storm, I could totally make a story out of that.
Excellent video! Can you then do an episode on climate (generally) , and then an episode on meteorology (to make weather evolve on short time scales) ?
for this i would like to cite pbs "that time it rained for two million years" oh, but also i have a question: what would you expect out of a world on where an australia sized continent is constantly overgrown, and then almost everywhere burns down in potassium-rich violet forest fires every 20 years for the last 3 million years? a special breed of potassium-rich charcoal-bark trees with fireproof seeds. the actual question scientifically: what are the atmospheric compositional precedents and consequences of this hypothetical tree (assuming all else is worked out to perfection) dominating a continent among other now-resistant species?
A note about the thermosphere: it is not hot in the normal sense of the word because if you leave something orbiting in the thermosphere it will freeze depending on the reflectivity and orientation of the object because the object will lose more heat through radiation then it will gain through conduction by the extremely thin atmosphere.
I'd love to see you delve deeper into the ramifications of the effects of different Earth-like atmospheres like you did to some degree in this video. I'd like to see a video on some less Earth-like atmospheres and their effects as well.
It means they got Vulcan almost right, re: humanoid life forms. The canon for prime Vulcan has a lesser oxygen content and lesser air density. It meant that Vulcans at baseline were "normal" but on Earth had better hearing and better stamina, and in females heightened sense of smell. It also explains why the Animated Series might have other fauna wrong: animals may not be as large as on Earth, and Vulcans probably could not live in lowlands because of the toxicity of the air (something "Enterprise" got right, oddly enough.)
Please make a video about how and why cultures change over time. More specifically, things like why a culture might slow down or stop its changing; what causes a culture and/or language to change slowly, and could a culture or language essentially freeze in place?
I had to rebuild Janochia. I had to put more methane in the atmosphere otherwise it would be an average of 4° degrees Celsius. However, when I was building my atmosphere. I had difficultly having a thick atmosphere, because the planet had a mass of 1.5, a radii of 1.15, and an average temperature of 14° Celsius (0.93333333 Temp). Gravity: 1.134215501 / Escape Velocity: 1.142080481 - Gas Levels - Methane: 0.3% Water Vapor: 0.1% Neon: 0.05% Nitrogen Gas: 80.4% Oxygen Gas: 16.3% Argon 2.25% Carbon Dioxide: 0.5% Krypton: 0.05% Xenon: 0.05% Everything else: 0.05% And the atmospheric level is at 2.2 ATM at sea level. The scale height ended up at 235.7198207 meters. I know that elevations more than 167 meters skyward are uninhabitable (from too little oxygen) I know that elevations more than 69 meters below sea level are uninhabitable (from too much oxygen) Do you have any suggestions for locations and story ideas for Janochia? Or should I do some changes to the planets?
Apologies for the belated comment, got distracted. As always, GURPS Space 3rd Edition barely even mentions such creative variety, especially in the altitude and composition of the atmosphere or at least the consequences of such variables outside of "your character takes this kind of damage if exposed". The altitude one and the atmospheric pressure intrigues me the most such as your two examples of CO2 valleys and habitable mountains vs wearing a space suit to climb a mountain. It certainly gives some creative ideas when it comes to extrasolar colonization. Either way, thanks for the inspiration Edgar.
One thing I do have to wonder is what the greenhouse effect would be like for your atmosphere with such a high c02 concentration. I'm guessing you'll probably go more in depth, than you already have, anyways, on climate in the future but now I'm super curious and might try looking more into that myself.
One thing you didn't mention, but probably should have, is vapor pressure of volatiles like water. That creates a lot of interesting effects and also some really dangerous ones like the potential for needing a pressure suit, or for that matter the atmosphere homogenizing above a certain altitude. Or there being mesospheric mountains that stretch into realms where water cannot exist as a liquid at background temperature.
currently first time DM and decided to look at some videos about worldbuilding. didnt even think about considering changing athmospheric conditions and the resulting consequences
Don't forget about terminal velocity. Pandora in Avatar had a higher atmospheric density (due to some some noble gases) so they fall much slower. Pair that with lower gravity to begin with and you got a low terminal velocity. it explains why they can survive falling 100s of meters off trees and out of planes.
Can someone explain to me how to use the spreadsheet I opened the link and everything I’m not computer savvy so if they could let me know I’d really appreciate it thanks In advance
So basically, dragons the size of airplanes can't fly on Earth because they're so big and heavy. Elephant sized dragons would probably pass out attempting fly given how much darn oxygen they'd need, if they didn't starve. Elephants can't even jump without shatteringtheir legs. _However,_ if you up the air density and O2 levels, lower the gravity, and move them to a cooler climate, you could supersize _everything._ Elephant sized Dragons could reasonably live, fly, and survive long enough to breed without being restricted to looking like pterosaurs. I knew fairly little about the atmosphere, but love animals. I've been trying to find ways to reasonably create the gargantuan mythical animals like dragons and thunderbirds. This can help greatly. Thank you! This video's really cool!
Dear Artifexian, I have watched several of your videos, some of them multiple times. I have to thank you because they have helped me so so so much. But I have some questions I hope you can respond: 1- When we are calculating our star's stats, like luminosity and temperature, is that intended for a specific stage in the life of the star, or how does it work? 2-How do I calculate the temperature of my planet(s) to put in this atmosphere calculator?
The concept at 6:20 makes me think of something along the lines of a terrestrial brine pool. It’s a fascinating idea, but I’m not sure how feasible it is to have land a whole kilometer below sea level. There has to be some way to get it to a point we could actually expect to see, right?
at the planet characteristics, you can enter the temperature, earth being one. is 1 fifteen celcius (or 288.15K), and would that make 1.5 into 432.225K? (158 C)
Thanks, I was already thinking about designing a atmosphere, thanks for the help! Edit: by the way, what site do you use to make that atmosphere chart?
If you're referring to the chart I think you are referring to I comes from Stephen Doles 'Habitable Planets for Man" but you can find it elsewhere on online. Actually I'm going to put a link to it in the dooblydoo. Brb
Maybe in a world with a low pressure sea level, the people there would believe the afterlife was on the peaks of mountains, and you can't go there and survive. Maybe monks would do mountain climbing and prepare for their final climb as they get old.
Cool bit of lore right there.
Smeetheens That's a really awesome idea.
Mars is going to be that way, if we ever get around to terraforming it. You'll be able to walk up out of the atmosphere on Olympus Mons.
Nathan Rasmussen that’s really cool, but can you see one of its moons during the day up there
Do you still alive?
So, if pressure is too high, highlands become islands and you'll need zeppelins to travel between them or a diver's suit? And fires will be infernal? Nice.
Possibly! Would make for a badass setting.
One interesting thing regarding fires is that whether an atmosphere is breathable depends mostly on the partial pressures of different gases, while the severity of fires depends on the concentration of oxygen - so a 2 atm, 10% oxygen atmosphere should be more or less just as breathable for humans as a 0.5 atm, 40% oxygen atmosphere (as long as for the first, you do not choose argon, krypton or xenon as your inert gas), but the former will have much less intense and the latter much more intense fires than Earth - and in the latter, boiling food would take quite a bit longer, as there water boils at only 82°C.
I remember thinking up a similar setting back in high school. It started with me thinking how cool an Icarus-style flight suit would be. I eventually got to the conclusion that it would only make sense in a world filled with highlands and they became the main transport method for soldiers(I thought it would've been an awesome game mechanic)
Does depend on the tech level of your society too any society with a post industrial revolution level would have the means to engineer solutions to this problem compressors, CO2 scrubbers etc everything that one would need to solve this could be built with that tech level.
Дум и копф!
In other words take earth, screw with it just a little, incite wholesale catastrophe. That's nice and calming.
Haha
Climate change!
Ayy you gotta be careful with that CO2
And don't forget the giant insects!
EDIT: A crappy pro tip: having roach problems? Just buy lots of oxygen tanks and increase the O2 concentration in your house. The roaches will get so big that they will be unable to fit in all the cracks and drawers. Of course, they would probably be super hard to kill because of how big that they get.
asunow.asu.edu/content/big-insects-provide-big-answers-about-oxygen
Actually, it's not a lie.
On the note of human powered flight, AFAIK Titan has a dense enough atmosphere and low enough gravity to achieve that.
I think so. XKCD did a comic on this topic.
Artifexian would you mind posting a link to the comic, he has put out so much content I fear I may never find it.
Ratchet4647 a lot came up with googling xkcd titan but I think this is it i.imgur.com/thnjUZp.png :)
+Ratchet4647 There's actually two posts by xkcd you might want to check out on this topic:
An actual comic strip - xkcd.com/620/
And an entry in the great what-if series - what-if.xkcd.com/30/
Why don’t you just invent a flying suit that works on earth. You are an engineer after all.
It'd be cool if you could add a calculation for the Karman Line on the spreadsheet. This is the altitude where an aircraft trying to stay up by lift has to be going at orbital speeds because the atmosphere is so thin. On Earth, it's 100 km and it is how we define where space begins. We don't define space by just picking an arbitrarily low atmospheric pressure.
True but this isn't science this is worldbuilding. I think just fudging it gets you 90% there for 1% of the effort. But I might look into it.
As the round number indicates, this is just some back of the envelope calculation, too. Karman himself used 300000 feet first, which was also a round number but a different one ;) I mean, think about it: the amount of lift an object generates at a given speed depends heavily on its shape. So what plane are we talking about here for this oh-so-objective definition?
Though, that depends on not just the atmosphere, but also on the planet's gravity - a planet with, say, only two thirds of Earth's escape velocity would have its Kármán Line at a significantly lower pressure (and thus density) than Earth's. Though, for a rough estimate, I think you could take the density of Earth's atmosphere at the Kármán Line (~1.3*10^-8 kg/m^3), and multiply by the square root of the low orbit velocity relative to Earth's (due to the v^2 dependence of lift).
+Artifexian One can build worlds that run on magic. But if we want one that runs on the rules of this universe as we understand them, what you call "worldbuilding" _is_ (mostly) science. And used in the search for extraterrestrial life.
Artifexian Isn't part of the point of Artifexian, alongside learning about world-building, is to use world-building as a tool for learning about science, languages, cultures, societies and more? I believe I remember you saying that once (in other words). Isn't it thus worth it to go the extra mile so that the audience can learn more than just the basics?
Thinking of your video _Do Mountains Alter Speech?_ : An atmosphere with low oxygen concentration might promote languages with ejective sounds as they need less air to articulate. Also dense atmospheres might give rise to languages with more subtle phoneme distinctions (like distinction between aspirated and unaspirated consonants, complex tonal patterns etc.), as spoken language is easier to hear.
Maybe!
This is really interesting and cool, thank you!
If you've just climbed a mountain, it may well have altered your speech pattern and word choice. Expect speech between gasping and increased use of impolite terminology.
Silbo Gomero, the famous whistle language was evolved because La Gomera is full of mountains and valleys. The sounds of whistles can travel very far which allows locals to communicate despite great distances.
You need to talk about possible sky colors on habitable worlds! Can a planet have the seemingly forbidden color green? Also color of sun and moon.
It's in my notes. Lots of people have been requesting it.
As I understand it, green is a possible sky color for a planet illuminated primarily by a red star.
Also a large fraction of chlorine might do the job…
@@ColinPaddock Might work if your lifeforms used chlorine for their oxidizer instead of oxygen.
Colin Paddock Hhhh
One thing to note is that these atmospheric habitability boundaries only apply to humans - you can probably go (quite) a bit outside these bounds, especially regarding concentrations of things like CO2 and trace gases to have the atmosphere breathable for the native species (as, obviously, any species will be able to breathe the atmosphere it involved in without issues) but not to any human explorers, á la Avatar.
Yup! Subject to the patrons giving it the ok I'm about to start working on an alien atmospheres video.
Ooohh, that sounds nice! One thing I wonder about is how much different you can make an atmosphere look while still having it habitable for Earth-similar life - like, say, one where the inert gas content is mostly noble gases, instead of nitrogen (though you of course still need some nitrogen probably).
Check out this thread: worldbuilding.stackexchange.com/questions/10448/if-we-put-humans-on-planets-with-atmospheres-different-from-earths-atmosphere
Tl;dr to much inert gases lead to narcosis and asphyxiation
Yeah, I know about the inert gas narcosis issues - what I was saying is that I doubt the specific limits that apply to humans are universal, and other species would likely have different limits of tolerance (though the ratio between the tolerable limits for the different inert gases might be more or less universal, as that seems to be a function of gas molar mass).
Also, another interesting inert gas effect that is important for interplanetary explorers: You have to do a slow acclimatisation if you transition from an atmosphere with a high nitrogen (might apply to other inert gases too, not sure about that) partial pressure to one with a lower one, as otherwise you risk the dissolved nitrogen in your blood coming out of solution as gas bubbles, which isn't really healthy.
Combining a whole bunch of things together:
Could you have a high-oxygen world, and in that world have a forest/savanna with green skies?
I was thinking of an habitat with constant, big wildfires, big enough that the atmosphere nearby would have a whole bunch of water vapour. In that place, flying microscopical algae would have evolved to live of that water vapour and CO2 produces by the wildfires, and a big concentration of them would make the sky green.
Imagine how cool it would be for explorers to find an untouched land of green sky!
Tweeking with these numbers just inspires a million cool scifi ideas!
That's the idea.
I appreciate how you flavored the worldbuilding (atmo-building?) approach with a dash of gas dynamics and biology as they exist for our real Earth. (I'm an aerospace engineer, and I'm quite pleased with the due diligence you've shown for the chemistry in this topic.) You've established just enough of a foundation in the hard science without plunging into the deep end. You have really done your homework. It also goes without saying that your spreadsheet is a powerful tool - anyone can create a plausible world without a science PhD. Excellent video!
"70cm scorpions" made my entire body shiver. Yeesh!
I know, right!
Nothing wrong with a 70 cm scorpion that a very large shoe, preferably dropped from orbit, couldn’t make right.
Colin Paddock Ah, yes, the gigantic fiery shoe will surely disintegrate that oversized stinger!
@@GuiSmith Is that why they went extinct?
@@Z4RD4N34 I barely even remember the context, so I'll say "why not?"
Amazing video! The part about the effects of relatively minor changes to earth's atmospheric composition was really exciting! Not only for world building but also when thinking about exoplanets.
Glad you enjoyed.
Yes! Just as I was thinking about you not uploading, I get the notification for this.
Best timing.
Possibly your best quality video yet, and one I have been waiting for for a while. Thank you very much for what you do.
What I love about this is one particular thing.
Those lowland areas don't have to be hot, but could still be toxic.
I expect them to be filled with trees.
But all it takes is one tree to evolve like a eucalyptus tree...
It'd be like a volcano. A new natural disaster, planet specific because of that exact weather phenomenon.
"I'd strongly recommend keeping things the same as Earth"
Instructions unclear, building Xenon atmosphere where microbes perform exotic photosynthesis and move oxygen from Silicon to Xenon forming heat-sensitive explosive Xenon Tetra-Oxide near the poles and powerful oxidizing Xenon trioxide closer to the equator.
This is the most amazing tutorial I have seen for a spreadsheet. Great design on every level.
So I guess my oceanic world of large flying wormfish on a low gravity high density atmosphere is reasonable.
Yup! Very much so
Do they use bug wings?
@@smartart6841 No, they're almost like inflatable jets that use a near plastic like cartilage skeleton to move pinched spots that act like joints in their cephalon-wings.
I've been watching your video for ages and it took until now for me to realise that I can download the spreadsheets in the description!!!
Your videos are really cool and inspirational! I love how they can make worlds feel more believable by giving them a sense of being grounded in science and realism. Being able to have small details such as how the air might taste, what the gravity and air density is, or what exact shade the sky might be makes it so much more immersive through the power of imagery and an impression of plausibility! Really cool stuff.
This Has Just Sparked my Creativity. Thanks My Brudda
7:14 That’s why I’m a sucker for high air density
Today is a good day. Thank you.
No probs. Hope it helps.
OMG OMG you've solved a world-building problem I've been grappling with mentally for years--how to make partial flight/gliding/big jumping possible for human-like creatures. I'd always assumed it would require a low-gravity planet, but your high density air solution is so much more poetic!
I seriously don't understand how you get so few views and have so few subscribers. Your videos are of such a high quality, you should be 10 to 100 times more successful. I really hope one day you get the popularity you deserve.
Is that the Kurzgesagt Earth?
Inspired by, yes.
Wow, what an awesome tool your atmospheric spreadsheet is.
Fantastic idea period. Love your channel every time.
As someone designing a world w/ echolocating aliens and a 27% O2 atmosphere w/ 1.47 atm @ MSL, I had totally spaced on how that thicker atmosphere enhances sound carrying ability. (Just this week me & my creature artist are discussing that creature's ears....)
The whole extra CO2 makes lowlands potentially toxic thing was a wicked detail to include. XD
This video made me feel like when I was reading Poul Anderson's "A World Named Cleopatra". Sooooo much usable info. Keep the incredible work, sir.
A note on 2:32 Plants breath O² like animals, however they use CO² to photosynthesis. Just a nitpick, great video as always.
I watched 2 videos now without reading descriptions and all that stuff... I have no clue what this channel is about. But I like it very much.
Is also of note the implications, that that would have on cooking, as in a higher pressure the boiling point of water is going to be higher. In a 1,7 atm the boiling point would be at around 115°C (for comparison, a pressure cooker cooks at approximately 2 atm at 121°C). So anything cooked or steamed would cook in less time. Saunas would have to be drier or you would risk death, or they would only be possible at high altitudes. In low pressures on the other hand, pressure cookers could have developed earlier, or the cuisine could have been more filled with grilled, broiled and fried foods.
Edgar, 1) Salaam. You frickin rock. 2) I'm going to get through worldbuilding & conlang before I make a choice on Patreon, but I've kicked in for things I find less entertaining, so.. yeah. 3) With all modesty, I'm one of the smartest people I know, and you've got me beat by a Klom or ten. I am really enjoying learning from you.
Days with Artifexian uploads are the best days.
Your design for death is adorable!
2:11actually, The concept of tidal downsizing is what actually would have puffed up the Atmosphere to the point where solar winds could blow it away. We see this happen with Neptune like planets around M-g type stars, and that's also how we can get some habitable worlds. So Earth when it formed, was a Gas giant. The tidal downsizing with drew Earth closer warmed it up, the sun had recently ignited and was producing far more heat and radiation then it is now, which could have turned Earth into a Hot Neptune, it would also explain why our atmosphere contains hydrogen (even though most scientists say Earth can't hold onto it, yet the exosphere is still pure hydrogen) and would also explain Earths Density as Gas giant cored, specificly ice giant cores are usually denser.
This helps me describe some features of my world PERFECTLY! So thank you!
Oh this was amazing, Edgar :D
This make me wonder about the Myst series when Ghen was tweaking worlds in his books, devastating the local populations. I have to wonder what atmospheric effects he might have ended up with.
I am going to have to resist the urge to start messing around with the atmosphere of the world in my books, lol.
Great video as always! You're always suprising me with when you upload, was just thinking that you were cryogenically freezing again, but turns out you have a very important topic in worldbuilding explained: Atmospheres.
Just continue doing your own thing at your own pace, I can see this channel getting a quarter million subscribers in no time if you continue your awesomeness!:)
Will endeavour to do so. The schedule at the moment is about a video every 3 weeks. I'm a one nerd operation and that's about as fast as I can work.
I'm trying to think of a clever comment, but all I can think of saying is that this video is very helpful and informative. Well done Edgar!
"it means the world" made me think "which one" :D
Thanks for another awesome video.
One thing one should keep in mind is that boiling and melting temperature change if you change the pressure. The higher the pressure, the higher the temperature needed for boiling and melting, the lower the pressure, the lower the temperature. For the example of water: If the pressure is low enough you can have water vapor at 0°C or 32°F. If it's high enough, water can be frozen at 0°C/32°F. But not normal Ice, but Ice VI for example. There are 17 different forms of ice that can be created with differences in pressure and temparature! Also, at a certain pressure and temperature there is no difference between fluid and gaseous H2O. And that's just water! If you really want to create a world with a different pressure then the earth which also should be physically correct, you should consider all this
Whenever you do life, do you plan on ever covering underwater intelligent life and civilizations?
7:16 Fun fact: On Titan, the gravity is so low, and the atmosphere is so dense, that you would actually fly a little bit if you flapped your arms hard enough.
Wow, as soon as you started reposting you went from 20k to almost 100k subs. Nearly there.
So very nearly!
Awesome!!! Now I can explain why there are giants, larger then life animals/bugs, and elf-arachnoid centaurs on my world. Also, now I can figure out a whole lot more about how my world works. I was thinking it would be cool to have, either in ancient times or on one of the moons, a place where smiths were able to have a natural forge instead of building one.
after every video my mind is blown, but this time more than ever. amazing!
Cheers, pal. Glad you enjoyed.
6:04 How did you figure that out? I don't get how you're supposed to convert the habitable atm into those habitable distances below and above sea level.
I once played an RPG set in a low pressure atmosphere, so only one huge and deep crater on the whole planet was habitable.
Sounds like a cool world.
Why does low pressurr maks it impossible to live higher up
Fun fact: If you were to build a pressurised dome (at 1atm) on the moon, big enough to fly around in, you could probably fly around in it by attaching some wings on your arms.
Icarus except for realsies.
Can you do a video on different counting systems?
Not on my immediate list but perhaps in the future.
Artifexian Ref, of course, Tom Scott's video on Numberphile.
Base 12, base 60, sum of named primes, etc.…
i think it may be best set to a kind of compilation video of a bunch of small ideas. though there IS a lot to be done with counting systems, surprisingly... there isn't. but artifexian, if you're reading this, please make sure to mention *balanced* counting systems, imagine this, base 3:
0 1 2 10 11 12 20 21 22 100...
using t for some -1 digit, forbidding 2, counting in base 3 becomes:
0 1 1t 10 11 1tt 1t0 1t1 10t 100...
and, in fact, this means that subtraction and - in general aren't necessary, as a negative number simply begins with t. Another consideration is balanced *even* bases, which i have done a lot of work on personally.
@@Artifexian
I'd especially be interested in the odd phenomenon that is the negative base. Could a society ever naturally adopt one, and if so, why?
This is the most literal world building I've ever seen and I love it.
Say, have you done a video about how to build Galaxies? As in, how do you take all the stars, planets, etc. that you've built and put them together into a galaxy? I've been checking the channel, but I don't think I've seen such. (If there isn't, I hope the Patrons consider it for a future topic. =) )
Some of his first videos are about Galaxies and stars. Hope this helps out!
I think I've seen them, but I still am not sure how to actually build the type of galaxies I want to make.
Such an epic video! Awesome work!
Glad you enjoyed.
I'm doing some donut planet stuff and I was looking for other ways to spice it up. I think I'll make it so the inner equitorial societies have achieved human flight to some extent. Storms will be nasty, but they are bound to have some cool caves and stuff with all those mountains.
I was also looking for a way to start conflict in this story, so if the main character is out flying and gets caught in an unforeseen storm, I could totally make a story out of that.
Excellent video! Can you then do an episode on climate (generally) , and then an episode on meteorology (to make weather evolve on short time scales) ?
for this i would like to cite pbs "that time it rained for two million years"
oh, but also i have a question:
what would you expect out of a world on where an australia sized continent is constantly overgrown, and then almost everywhere burns down in potassium-rich violet forest fires every 20 years for the last 3 million years? a special breed of potassium-rich charcoal-bark trees with fireproof seeds.
the actual question scientifically: what are the atmospheric compositional precedents and consequences of this hypothetical tree (assuming all else is worked out to perfection) dominating a continent among other now-resistant species?
"High Oxygen worlds are really fun."
Maybe in the Dwarf fortress version of the word fun...
A note about the thermosphere: it is not hot in the normal sense of the word because if you leave something orbiting in the thermosphere it will freeze depending on the reflectivity and orientation of the object because the object will lose more heat through radiation then it will gain through conduction by the extremely thin atmosphere.
Another amazing (and incredibly informative) video!
6:26 that is such a cool fucking idea, what would such a world look like? It stirs the imagination
I'd love to see you delve deeper into the ramifications of the effects of different Earth-like atmospheres like you did to some degree in this video. I'd like to see a video on some less Earth-like atmospheres and their effects as well.
It means they got Vulcan almost right, re: humanoid life forms. The canon for prime Vulcan has a lesser oxygen content and lesser air density. It meant that Vulcans at baseline were "normal" but on Earth had better hearing and better stamina, and in females heightened sense of smell. It also explains why the Animated Series might have other fauna wrong: animals may not be as large as on Earth, and Vulcans probably could not live in lowlands because of the toxicity of the air (something "Enterprise" got right, oddly enough.)
Artifexian,
Thank you for the video!
No probs, pal. Glad to be of service.
Please make a video about how and why cultures change over time. More specifically, things like why a culture might slow down or stop its changing; what causes a culture and/or language to change slowly, and could a culture or language essentially freeze in place?
This was awesome
Cheers, pal.
I had to rebuild Janochia. I had to put more methane in the atmosphere otherwise it would be an average of 4° degrees Celsius. However, when I was building my atmosphere. I had difficultly having a thick atmosphere, because the planet had a mass of 1.5, a radii of 1.15, and an average temperature of 14° Celsius (0.93333333 Temp).
Gravity: 1.134215501 / Escape Velocity: 1.142080481
- Gas Levels -
Methane: 0.3%
Water Vapor: 0.1%
Neon: 0.05%
Nitrogen Gas: 80.4%
Oxygen Gas: 16.3%
Argon 2.25%
Carbon Dioxide: 0.5%
Krypton: 0.05%
Xenon: 0.05%
Everything else: 0.05%
And the atmospheric level is at 2.2 ATM at sea level.
The scale height ended up at 235.7198207 meters.
I know that elevations more than 167 meters skyward are uninhabitable (from too little oxygen)
I know that elevations more than 69 meters below sea level are uninhabitable (from too much oxygen)
Do you have any suggestions for locations and story ideas for Janochia?
Or should I do some changes to the planets?
Apologies for the belated comment, got distracted.
As always, GURPS Space 3rd Edition barely even mentions such creative variety, especially in the altitude and composition of the atmosphere or at least the consequences of such variables outside of "your character takes this kind of damage if exposed". The altitude one and the atmospheric pressure intrigues me the most such as your two examples of CO2 valleys and habitable mountains vs wearing a space suit to climb a mountain. It certainly gives some creative ideas when it comes to extrasolar colonization.
Either way, thanks for the inspiration Edgar.
One thing I do have to wonder is what the greenhouse effect would be like for your atmosphere with such a high c02 concentration. I'm guessing you'll probably go more in depth, than you already have, anyways, on climate in the future but now I'm super curious and might try looking more into that myself.
An absolutely fascinating video! Really enjoyed watching it. Are you going to show us any conlang/conworld projects you're working On?
Artifexian is my project. I've pretty much stopped doing my own worldbuilding and have dedicated myself to teaching others how to do it.
That's really cool, thank you for that! You're doing a great thing :)
This will be extremely useful for Kerbal Space Program modding
One thing you didn't mention, but probably should have, is vapor pressure of volatiles like water. That creates a lot of interesting effects and also some really dangerous ones like the potential for needing a pressure suit, or for that matter the atmosphere homogenizing above a certain altitude. Or there being mesospheric mountains that stretch into realms where water cannot exist as a liquid at background temperature.
This is my only notification on UA-cam.
That means a lot pal. Thank you.
I think you got a typo in your spreadsheet for "H2O" you (you typed H20)
Ye, for some reason the spreadsheet didn't allow me to use subscripts.
currently first time DM and decided to look at some videos about worldbuilding. didnt even think about considering changing athmospheric conditions and the resulting consequences
1:10 am and I'm too young to understand any of this. Good vid btw, I'm sure I'll understand when I'm older
Theoretically, with a dense enough atmosphere, low enough gravity and large enough flaps, you could see a world with literal flying whales.
@ELIYA NDAYISABA I can't take credit for it. I saw it in a documentary about how life might adapt to alien environments quite a long time ago.
I love your spreadsheets! I feel like a total nerd, but the world just becomes so much more tangible...
Very useful. Thank you for the vid.
No probs. Thank you for watching.
I think you should name your planet artifexian
Don't forget about terminal velocity. Pandora in Avatar had a higher atmospheric density (due to some some noble gases) so they fall much slower. Pair that with lower gravity to begin with and you got a low terminal velocity. it explains why they can survive falling 100s of meters off trees and out of planes.
Artifexian uploaded a video: no need for sleep.
Sleep is for suckers. :P
Can someone explain to me how to use the spreadsheet I opened the link and everything I’m not computer savvy so if they could let me know I’d really appreciate it thanks In advance
So basically, dragons the size of airplanes can't fly on Earth because they're so big and heavy. Elephant sized dragons would probably pass out attempting fly given how much darn oxygen they'd need, if they didn't starve. Elephants can't even jump without shatteringtheir legs. _However,_ if you up the air density and O2 levels, lower the gravity, and move them to a cooler climate, you could supersize _everything._ Elephant sized Dragons could reasonably live, fly, and survive long enough to breed without being restricted to looking like pterosaurs.
I knew fairly little about the atmosphere, but love animals. I've been trying to find ways to reasonably create the gargantuan mythical animals like dragons and thunderbirds. This can help greatly. Thank you! This video's really cool!
Whoop whoop
Whoooooooooooooop!
Dear Artifexian, I have watched several of your videos, some of them multiple times. I have to thank you because they have helped me so so so much. But I have some questions I hope you can respond:
1- When we are calculating our star's stats, like luminosity and temperature, is that intended for a specific stage in the life of the star, or how does it work?
2-How do I calculate the temperature of my planet(s) to put in this atmosphere calculator?
Idk abt Q1, but for Q2: His earlier videos on planet building will involve calculating the temperature of the planet(s)!
4:59 California world it is!
"earth like atmospheres"
Thumbnail: FIRE!!!!
What equation did you use to find the habitable elevation range?
Great vid as always, mate.
The atmosphere calculator doesnt work when I try to download it. Can anyone help with that?
Oh nvm I got it
The concept at 6:20 makes me think of something along the lines of a terrestrial brine pool. It’s a fascinating idea, but I’m not sure how feasible it is to have land a whole kilometer below sea level.
There has to be some way to get it to a point we could actually expect to see, right?
How can I calculate the greenhouse effect of my planet?
I've made an edit of this spreadsheet to calculate the greenhouse effect and boiling point at different pressures if you are still interested.
@@ucitcer3szdfka-oxmcy0zww46 yes, please
The percentages at 0:17 add up to >100% even if you only include Nitrogen, Oxygen, Argon, and Carbon Dioxide.
Will you ever do a video on grammatical mood?
Incredible work ! I'm impressed !
Artifexian is awesome!
..........Back in a moment... I forgot to tell Bill not to add too much nitrogen to Earth III, and he tends to go wild without instructions...
It's my defining character trait
Dammit Bill, not again! You are demoted to Lesser Footstool now!
a planet with an armosphere wiht a lot of argon or neon sounds really cool
but, how does the temperature scale work? is it linear from 0K?
What do you mean by temperature scale?
at the planet characteristics, you can enter the temperature, earth being one. is 1 fifteen celcius (or 288.15K), and would that make 1.5 into 432.225K? (158 C)
Don't edit the grey cells! The spreasheet computes them. But, yes, 1 = 15 C/288.15K
E10, temp, is green. thanks, though. really nice vids, really cool spreadsheets and awesome content!
Thanks, I was already thinking about designing a atmosphere, thanks for the help!
Edit: by the way, what site do you use to make that atmosphere chart?
More to come on this topic.
I’m happy that you answered me and because of the topics you cover
If you're referring to the chart I think you are referring to I comes from Stephen Doles 'Habitable Planets for Man" but you can find it elsewhere on online. Actually I'm going to put a link to it in the dooblydoo. Brb
You should make an app of your spreadsheets