Earth names for Alien things?
Seldkam
Join Date: 2014-01-01 Member: 191213Members
Join Date: 2014-01-01 Member: 191213Members
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It would be neat to discover a new element though...Ironman comes to mind.
As far as minerals go, they form by predictable chemical reactions that have been tested over and over, so the same common minerals should be found throughout the universe. On the other hand, each environment produces subtly different blends and structures, so that specimens from mars, the moon, or the asteroids can be distinguished from earthly rocks. So it's likely that you would find something like copper on the alien planet, but through oxidization and decay under foreign water, it might not look the same as on earth.
However, Atoms stay consistent throughout space. Once we leave earth, it's not like the fundamental building blocks of life are just going to vanish.
Just like a Hydrogen atom is a nucleus with one proton, or Helium is two, three for lithium, etc. All of those can be, and have been found in space, in fact, the gas planet Jupiter's atmosphere is 90% Hydrogen!
All the elements on the Periodic table are pretty much the extent of what you'd find out there, atomically speaking. Some elements are just too unstable and decay too quickly to be properly observed, but we know they exist, that's why on the periodic table, some elements are just made up... metaphorically; we know they exist as elements, just not in a stable enough environment to prove it other than through knowledge and concept.
On the Periodic Table, elements are determined by the number of protons within the nucleus. Here on earth, we have observed or created everything from hydrogen (1 proton) up to Ununoctium (118 protons). So the only thing that could exist in the universe that we haven't seen on earth is something above 118, which by all rights and purposes would have such a big nucleus it'd become unstable. The largest, stable atom to exist here on earth is Bismuth (with 83 protons) and the largest naturally occurring element is Uranium. (clocking in at very radioactive 93) Elements above that HAVE been created with tools such at the Higgs Boson Particle Accelerator, but they've only lasted for a fraction of a second.
The only time other elements in space have been made is very briefly during a supernova, before instantly decaying.
But hey, this is a video game and anything you want can exist.
The periodic table is pretty much universal because it contains every possible atom in the universe (!) that does not split into two in a mere microsecond. The only new elements discoverable are very high up in the table and most likely radioactive. Science!
Also no point in calling something different just because it's not on Earth. In fact if humanity encounters something new it is likely to name it after familiar concepts. Gives you a rough idea. Helps communication. See lots of names in computer technology. Those things did not exist 30 years ago and yet most of them have very familiar names. We call them nets and streams and ports and hubs. You get the idea.