Hephaestus-1

Classification: Void World

The parallel Earth of the Hephaestus-1 universe is a violent, uninhabitable Void World devoid of life whose surface is dominated by unstable shifting lava deposits and perpetual volcanic eruptions. Average temperatures skyrocket higher than what can be survived by even extremophile bacteria with the entire planet coated in perpetually active volcanic vents and various stages of liquefied rock. Water only exists in tiny, scarce amounts in the atmosphere of this version of Earth, remaining as a scalding vapor that is dwarfed in volume by thick clouds of ash and toxic volcanic gases. The constant belching of ash and superheated gases into the atmosphere gives rise to massive localized lightning storms that grow incredibly violent due to the meteorological ionic imbalance. Devastating impacts by incoming meteoroids frequently punctuate these storms, often arriving in fleets to punish this Earth’s already hellish and lethal surface. The rest of this parallel’s version of our solar system is equally violent and reminiscent of the formative years of our planets, with unstable planetary surfaces and massive swaths of asteroid fields. Researchers theorize that this may be a version of Earth that has not yet exited (or may never exit) the Hadean Period of development, which our Homeline version of Earth exited roughly four-billion years ago as the Late Heavy Bombardment ended and the surface of the planets became less unstable, gradually allowing for conditions to eventually become hospitable to life.

Hephaestus-1 is generally considered a low-priority research-target. While the conditions of this parallel Earth are of interest to scientists wanting to potentially learn about Earth’s pre-biological formation period, as well as geologists and volcanologists, the violent activity of the planet’s surface and the lethal temperatures make anything but remote observation dangerous and impractical.