Frontier Small Stars

All pictures were taken from a distance of 5 million km

Type 'M' Flare Star

This type of star is not a good one for sustaining life of any kind on orbiting planets. When a flare strikes, the star's output can increase by a factor of 10 or more, so life would need to be able to cope with these brief periodic outbursts. Humanity may be able to adapt, but indigenous life is unlikely.

Faint Type 'M' Star

These objects are barely deserving of the name Star, as their output is so feeble that they are incapable of sustaining life on their planets. Humankind has been able to establish outposts in such systems, but all personnel must remain underground as the surfaces of the orbiting planets are barren airless wastelands.

Type 'M' Red Star

As with the other type 'M' stars, there is no possiblity of maintaining life-bearing colonies on the planets in these systems. The only presence that can be established is in self-sufficient underground complexes, often built to facilitate mining or scientific pursuits.

White Dwarf Star

White Dwarf stars are an interesting sight, not least because our own Sun is destined to become one when it exhausts its supply of fuel. It is the collapsed remnants of the stellar core and is so dense that a teaspoon full of its material would weigh several tonnes. However, it is not a good place to harbour life and only scientists and other hardy types would want to live nearby.