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Main article: Dragonriders of Pern
Pern was colonised by settlers from Earth who wanted to return to an agrarian society with a low level of technology. The name was originally a acronym: Parallel Earth, Resources Negligible (i.e., insufficient to support interstellar commercial investment). Shortly after the first colony was established, the settlers were devastated to discover that their chosen planet was not a safe place. Pern is subject to periodic attack from space by the destructive thread, a spaceborn spore that destroys everything organic it touches. Unable to retreat from the peril, the settlers developed methods of combatting the thread. "Holds" were dug into the cliffs for them to live in, and Pernese scientists "upgraded" a local reptilian lifeform, the fire-lizard, into full-sized flame-breathing telepathic dragons, who were able to sear the thread before it could fall to the ground. The dragonriders became a vitally important and highly respected profession, living in Weyrs, and as time progressed, the settlers forgot their Terran origins.
Pern is the third of six planets in the Rukbat system (the Pernese star is also known as Alpha Sagittarius ). In a departure from reality, Rukbat is a class G (yellow) star in the series; the real Rukbat is a blue, class B star. (See spectral classification for more information.) Pern has two moons, Belior and Timor (in order of distance). The Rukbat system in the novel also contains two asteroid belts and an Oort cloud. The Oort cloud and the sixth planet, the Red Star (a Sedna-class inner Oort cloud object), play a major role in the series, as they are the source of Thread.
Pern bears three continents, four major oceans, and a large number of islands. The largest continent, the Southern, is noted for large areas of grassland and jungle, as well as high tectonic and volcanic activity. The Northern Continent, in contrast, is relatively infertile composed primarily of 'shield' bedrock and is the most tectonically stable landmass on the planet. Not much is known of the small Far Western Continent, as it has never been explored; its existence is known only from orbital satellite surveys and maritime expeditions.
Pern is noted for its high incidence of cave systems, particularly in the Northern Continent. This feature heavily influenced the development of human society on the planet, as humans forced to take shelter in these caves eventually developed an intricate culture associated with cave-dwelling in a feudal society at a medieval - RenaissanceLeonardo da Vinci's Vitruvian Man, an example of the blend of art and science during the Renaissance The Renaissance was a great cultural movement which brought about a period of scientific revolution and artistic transformation, at the dawn of modern Eur level of technology.
Pern is relatively lacking in most major metals. Nonetheless, sufficient deposits of petroleumNodding donkey pumping an oil well near Sarnia, Ontario, 2001 Petroleum (from Latin petrus rock and oleum oil), mineral oil or crude oil sometimes colloquially called black gold is a thick, dark brown or greenish flammable liquid, which exists in the uppe and metals exist to supply an high-technology agrarianAgrarian has two meanings: It can mean pertaining to Agriculture It can also refer to the ideology of Agrarianism and Agrarian parties. society, though not a high-technology industrialFor other uses of this term, see Industry (disambiguation An industry is an area of economic production which involves large amounts of upfront capital investment before any profit can be realized. The most successful industries in a given sector tend, to one.
Although Pern has four major oceanOcean covers almost three quarters (71%) of the surface of the Earth. This global, interconnected body of salt water is divided by the continents and larger archipelagos into five oceans as follows: Arctic Ocean Atlantic Ocean Indian Ocean Pacific Ocean Ss, the only ocean of major concern to most inhabitants of Pern is the Southern, which separates the Northern and Southern Continents. Few expeditions have explored the Western and Eastern Oceans to either side of the main continents, and the Ring Sea is known only from satellite observations.
The Southern Ocean is noted for its volatile weather and strong currents, which present a challenge for mariners. At least one tropical cyclone has occurred in the ocean in the course of the books.
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