Jinx (Known Space)
Encyclopedia
Jinx is a fictional world in Larry Niven
's Known Space
stories.
A system, and is home to a human colony. Jinx is six times more massive than Earth, and very dense, with a surface gravity of about 1.78 times Earth gravity. Its nickel-iron core is half the diameter of the world, the rest being rocky mantle and crust. Its most distinctive feature is its shape, that of a prolate spheroid
(a rugby-ball or egg-shape). The idea is that the shape of Jinx was fixed when it was in a close orbit to its primary, leading to tidal
forces strong enough to produce this shape. Over time, tidal effects
have caused Jinx to recede from its primary, while at the same time the planet has cooled and become more rigid, retaining its distorted shape. The extreme variations in altitude caused by this unusual shape have resulted in five distinct environmental zones.
Along the meridian, where the atmosphere is thickest, runs a narrow band of high-pressure not suitable for human habitation. On either side of the meridian are two zones or bands where the atmosphere is suitable for human habitation. These are known as the East Band (home to the well developed colony), and the West Band (still a developing frontier). The "tips" of the spheroid are the East End and West End, which stick out of the planet's atmosphere into the vacuum of space. This makes the ends uninhabitable, but excellent for vacuum industries.
Niven went to some trouble to make the physics of Jinx seem plausible. In order for the crust to vary in altitude relative to the ocean and the atmosphere, the body has to be rigid enough to retain its shape under its own gravity. Niven therefore gave Jinx a distinct lack of radioactive materials, so that the it would cool more quickly and become more rigid. He also described it as having frequent earthquakes as its own gravity tries to draw it into hydrostatic equilibrium
, in which the force of gravity is normal
to the surface at every point. The only question casting doubt on the plausibility of Jinx is that it is not clear whether rock could actually be rigid enough to retain such a deviation from equilibrium over geologic time scales.
As described in Niven's stories, Jinx has a period of rotation of 4 Earth days long, with the East End always pointing toward Binary. The Capitol and seat of Jinxian Government is located in the East Band city known as Sirius Mater.
Jinx is home to the Institute of Knowledge, one of the most advanced research facilities in Known Space, which also contains a comprehensive museum
. The Institute is located in Sirius Mater. Most offworld visitors to Jinx stay at the Camelot Hotel adjacent to the Institute, as there is gravity control
in the guest rooms. The bar and event halls in the Camelot are maintained at one Earth gravity
throughout the facility.
http://www.oinc.net/knownspace/Enc/display.php?73
They also tend to have very dark skin because of the intense sunlight of Sirius. Jinxian architecture is similarly shaped, with short, squat buildings so as to not collapse under their own weight. Jinxians are also known for their proclivity toward pun
s.
Larry Niven
Laurence van Cott Niven / ˈlæri ˈnɪvən/ is an American science fiction author. His best-known work is Ringworld , which received Hugo, Locus, Ditmar, and Nebula awards. His work is primarily hard science fiction, using big science concepts and theoretical physics...
's Known Space
Known Space
Known Space is the fictional setting of some dozen science fiction novels and several collections of short stories written by author Larry Niven. It has also in part been used as a shared universe in the Man-Kzin Wars spin-off anthologies sub-series....
stories.
Description
The world is a satellite of a gas giant named Binary in the SiriusSirius
Sirius is the brightest star in the night sky. With a visual apparent magnitude of −1.46, it is almost twice as bright as Canopus, the next brightest star. The name "Sirius" is derived from the Ancient Greek: Seirios . The star has the Bayer designation Alpha Canis Majoris...
A system, and is home to a human colony. Jinx is six times more massive than Earth, and very dense, with a surface gravity of about 1.78 times Earth gravity. Its nickel-iron core is half the diameter of the world, the rest being rocky mantle and crust. Its most distinctive feature is its shape, that of a prolate spheroid
Prolate spheroid
A prolate spheroid is a spheroid in which the polar axis is greater than the equatorial diameter. Prolate spheroids stand in contrast to oblate spheroids...
(a rugby-ball or egg-shape). The idea is that the shape of Jinx was fixed when it was in a close orbit to its primary, leading to tidal
Tide
Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by the combined effects of the gravitational forces exerted by the moon and the sun and the rotation of the Earth....
forces strong enough to produce this shape. Over time, tidal effects
Tidal locking
Tidal locking occurs when the gravitational gradient makes one side of an astronomical body always face another; for example, the same side of the Earth's Moon always faces the Earth. A tidally locked body takes just as long to rotate around its own axis as it does to revolve around its partner...
have caused Jinx to recede from its primary, while at the same time the planet has cooled and become more rigid, retaining its distorted shape. The extreme variations in altitude caused by this unusual shape have resulted in five distinct environmental zones.
Along the meridian, where the atmosphere is thickest, runs a narrow band of high-pressure not suitable for human habitation. On either side of the meridian are two zones or bands where the atmosphere is suitable for human habitation. These are known as the East Band (home to the well developed colony), and the West Band (still a developing frontier). The "tips" of the spheroid are the East End and West End, which stick out of the planet's atmosphere into the vacuum of space. This makes the ends uninhabitable, but excellent for vacuum industries.
Niven went to some trouble to make the physics of Jinx seem plausible. In order for the crust to vary in altitude relative to the ocean and the atmosphere, the body has to be rigid enough to retain its shape under its own gravity. Niven therefore gave Jinx a distinct lack of radioactive materials, so that the it would cool more quickly and become more rigid. He also described it as having frequent earthquakes as its own gravity tries to draw it into hydrostatic equilibrium
Hydrostatic equilibrium
Hydrostatic equilibrium or hydrostatic balance is the condition in fluid mechanics where a volume of a fluid is at rest or at constant velocity. This occurs when compression due to gravity is balanced by a pressure gradient force...
, in which the force of gravity is normal
Surface normal
A surface normal, or simply normal, to a flat surface is a vector that is perpendicular to that surface. A normal to a non-flat surface at a point P on the surface is a vector perpendicular to the tangent plane to that surface at P. The word "normal" is also used as an adjective: a line normal to a...
to the surface at every point. The only question casting doubt on the plausibility of Jinx is that it is not clear whether rock could actually be rigid enough to retain such a deviation from equilibrium over geologic time scales.
As described in Niven's stories, Jinx has a period of rotation of 4 Earth days long, with the East End always pointing toward Binary. The Capitol and seat of Jinxian Government is located in the East Band city known as Sirius Mater.
Jinx is home to the Institute of Knowledge, one of the most advanced research facilities in Known Space, which also contains a comprehensive museum
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
. The Institute is located in Sirius Mater. Most offworld visitors to Jinx stay at the Camelot Hotel adjacent to the Institute, as there is gravity control
Gravity shielding
The term gravitational shielding refers to a hypothetical process of shielding an object from the influence of a gravitational field. Such processes, if they existed, would have the effect of reducing the weight of an object. The shape of the shielded region would be similar to a shadow from the...
in the guest rooms. The bar and event halls in the Camelot are maintained at one Earth gravity
Earth's gravity
The gravity of Earth, denoted g, refers to the acceleration that the Earth imparts to objects on or near its surface. In SI units this acceleration is measured in metres per second per second or equivalently in newtons per kilogram...
throughout the facility.
http://www.oinc.net/knownspace/Enc/display.php?73
Jinxians
Due to the high gravity, the human inhabitants of Jinx have short, squat bodies with great strength (and a predisposition to heart failure). In The Borderland of Sol, Julian Forward says:"We bred for strength, we Jinxians. At what cost to other factors? Our lives are short, even with the aid of boosterspice. Longer if we can live outside Jinx's gravity."
They also tend to have very dark skin because of the intense sunlight of Sirius. Jinxian architecture is similarly shaped, with short, squat buildings so as to not collapse under their own weight. Jinxians are also known for their proclivity toward pun
Pun
The pun, also called paronomasia, is a form of word play which suggests two or more meanings, by exploiting multiple meanings of words, or of similar-sounding words, for an intended humorous or rhetorical effect. These ambiguities can arise from the intentional use and abuse of homophonic,...
s.