ABOUT THE EXPEDITION

THE ATLAS OF UNCHARTED WORLDS PROJECT

The mission of the Peabody Expedition, led by Ruby Peabody, Ph.D., is to study, photograph, and document a previously unknown region of space centered on a newly discovered stellar system.

This region—now designated the Meridian System—has quickly become the focus of our work. Early observations suggest multiple planetary bodies, an asteroid belt, and several objects that may be either large asteroids or small moons. These formations appear to have developed under…unusual conditions, possibly involving time, pressure, temperature, and at least one factor we do not yet understand.

Our initial survey reveals a system rich in mineral diversity. There are also signs of structures and formations that appear to be extremely old—though whether they are geological, biological, or something else remains unclear.

As observers, our task is simple in theory and impossible in practice: to document the Meridian System as thoroughly as we can while it still exists in its present form.

The worlds themselves are smaller than expected. Some are no larger than a chain of islands on Earth. Many are fragments—possible planetary remnants, fossilized surfaces, or wandering bodies caught in unstable orbits. And yet, each one tells a complete story. In some cases, an unsettling one.

Certain worlds show clear evidence of violent histories—surfaces torn apart, structures fractured, landscapes interrupted mid-formation. Others appear almost untouched, as if they formed and then simply…remained, unchanged for millennia.

EXPLORATION METHODS

The Meridian System lies at the very edge of current observational capability. Direct exploration is not yet possible.

Instead, this expedition relies on extreme macro-resolution imaging techniques. These methods allow us to examine surface features in extraordinary detail—capturing escarpments, mineral deposits, ancient ridges, crystalline ice fields, and other formations that offer clues to each world’s history.

Lighting conditions are carefully controlled to simulate stellar illumination. By adjusting the angle of light, subtle terrain features emerge. The most revealing technique so far has been raking light, which uses shadow to expose the landscape.

Each image in the Atlas represents a recorded observation, not an illustration.

No two worlds are alike.

WORLDS DISCOVERED SO FAR

The Peabody Expedition has catalogued several bodies within the Meridian System:

LIGNUM

Lignum’s vast, fibrous expanses suggest fossilized forests. Its surface shows layers, fractures, and compressed structures that point to a long history of transformation—perhaps slow, immense pressure acting over time.

GLACERA

Glacera appears frozen, its surface dominated by crystalline formations and fractured ice plains. The highly reflective terrain suggests extreme temperature cycles, and there may be significant internal stress beneath its crust.

TESTA

Testa is…different.

An ancient world, its surface is composed of layered mineral shells, smoothed in places as if worn by something long vanished. Ridges and escarpments hint at an oceanic past, though the planet is now completely dry.

OTHER WORLDS

The expedition continues to investigate additional moons, asteroid fragments, and micro-worlds—many of which resist easy classification.

THE NATURE OF DISCOVERY

Exploration has never been a tidy process.

An asteroid may later reveal itself to be a fragment of a destroyed moon—or even a planet. A mineral ridge, seen under new lighting, may become the edge of an entire continent. Entire landscapes can emerge from what first appeared to be a single surface.

The Atlas grows slowly. The expedition has only one archivist.

Some days yield nothing at all.

Other days reveal entire worlds hiding in plain sight.

THE EXPEDITION LOG

The Explorer’s Log records newly identified planetary features, geological anomalies, and notable observations.Images are added to the Atlas as they are processed.

And as the work continues, one thing is becoming increasingly clear:

The Meridian System is far stranger than anyone expected.