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Sietch Tabr
Arrakis ()—informally known as Dune and later called Rakis—is a fictional desert planet featured in the ''Dune'' series of novels by Frank Herbert. Herbert's first novel in the series, 1965's ''Dune'', is considered one of the greatest science fiction novels of all time,Touponce, William F. (1988), ''Frank Herbert'', Boston, Massachusetts: Twayne Publishers imprint, G. K. Hall & Co, pg. 119, . "'' Locus'' ran a poll of readers on April 15, 1975, in which ''Dune'' 'was voted the all-time-best science-fiction novel ... It has sold over ten million copies in numerous editions.'" and it is sometimes cited as the best-selling science fiction novel in history. In ''Dune'', the planet is the home of the Fremen ( Zensunni wanderers), and subsequently is the Imperial Capital of the Atreides Empire. Arrakis is the third planet orbiting the star Canopus, and it in turn is orbited by two moons, one of which has an albedo pattern resembling the desert kangaroo mouse, Muad'Dib, on ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mu Draconis
Mu Draconis (μ Draconis, abbreviated Mu Dra, μ Dra) is a multiple star system near the head of the constellation of Draco. With a combined magnitude of 4.92, it is visible to the naked eye. Based on parallax estimates by the Hipparcos spacecraft, it is located approximately 89 light-years from the Sun. The system consists of a single primary star (designated Mu Draconis A, officially named Alrakis from the traditional name of the system), a secondary binary pair (Mu Draconis B) and a further single star (C). B's two components are designated Mu Draconis Ba and Bb. Mu Draconis A and Ba are nearly identical F-type main-sequence stars, with masses of and , respectively. Both have the spectral class of F5V, and have similar apparent magnitude, at 5.66 and 5.69, respectively. The secondary, Mu Draconis B, has a drifting radial velocity, and is itself a spectroscopic binary with an orbital period of 2,270 days.SB9 catalog entry The distance between both st ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dune Messiah
''Dune Messiah'' is a science fiction novel by American writer Frank Herbert, the second in his ''Dune'' series of six novels. A sequel to ''Dune'' (1965), it was originally serialized in ''Galaxy'' magazine in 1969, and then published by Putnam the same year. ''Dune Messiah'' and its own sequel ''Children of Dune'' (1976) were collectively adapted by the Sci-Fi Channel in 2003 into a miniseries entitled ''Frank Herbert's Children of Dune''. Plot Twelve years after the events described in ''Dune'' (1965), Paul "Muad'Dib" Atreides rules as Emperor. By accepting the role of messiah to the Fremen, Paul has unleashed a jihad which conquered most of the known universe. Paul is the most powerful emperor ever known, but is powerless to stop the lethal excesses of the religious juggernaut he has created. Although 61 billion people have perished, Paul's prescient visions indicate that this is far from the worst possible outcome for humanity. Motivated by this knowledge, Paul hopes to se ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lady Jessica
Lady Jessica is a fictional character in the ''Dune'' universe created by Frank Herbert. A main character in the 1965 novel ''Dune'', Jessica also plays an important role in the later installment ''Children of Dune'' (1976). The events surrounding Jessica's conception, her birth and her early years with Leto are chronicled in the ''Prelude to Dune'' prequel trilogy (1999–2001) and the ''Caladan Trilogy'' (2020–2022) by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson. The character is brought back as a ghola in the Herbert/Anderson sequels which conclude the original series, '' Hunters of Dune'' (2006) and ''Sandworms of Dune'' (2007). Lady Jessica was portrayed by Francesca Annis in the 1984 David Lynch film ''Dune''. Saskia Reeves played the role in the 2000 Sci-Fi Channel TV miniseries ''Frank Herbert's Dune'', and was succeeded by Alice Krige in the 2003 sequel, ''Frank Herbert's Children of Dune''. Rebecca Ferguson portrays Jessica in the 2021 Denis Villeneuve film adaptation an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Salt Pan (geology)
Natural salt pans or salt flats are flat expanses of ground covered with salt and other minerals, usually shining white under the sun. They are found in deserts and are natural formations (unlike salt evaporation ponds, which are artificial). A salt pan forms by evaporation of a water pool, such as a lake or pond. This happens in climates where the rate of water evaporation exceeds the rate of that is, in a desert. If the water cannot drain into the ground, it remains on the surface until it evaporates, leaving behind minerals precipitated from the salt ions dissolved in the water. Over thousands of years, the minerals (usually salts) accumulate on the surface. These minerals reflect the sun's rays (through radiation) and often appear as white areas. Salt pans can be dangerous. The crust of salt can conceal a quagmire of mud that can engulf a truck. The Qattara Depression in the eastern Sahara Desert contains many such traps which served as strategic barriers during World ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Spacing Guild
The Spacing Guild is an organization in Frank Herbert's science fiction ''Dune'' universe which possesses a monopoly on interstellar travel and banking. Guild Navigators (alternately Guildsmen or Steersmen) use the drug melange (also called "the spice") to achieve limited prescience, allowing them to successfully navigate "folded space" and safely guide enormous starships called heighliners across interstellar space instantaneously. The power of the Guild is balanced against that of the Padishah Emperor as well as of the assembled noble Houses of the Landsraad. Essentially apolitical, the Guild is primarily concerned with the flow of commerce and preservation of the economy that supports them. Although their ability to dictate the terms of and fees for all transport gives them influence in the political arena, they do not pursue political goals beyond their economic ones. John C. Smith analyzes the concept of the Guild in the essay "Navigators and the Spacing Guild" in ''The Sci ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Terraforming
Terraforming or terraformation ("Earth-shaping") is the hypothetical process of deliberately modifying the atmosphere, temperature, surface topography or ecology of a planet, moon, or other body to be similar to the environment of Earth to make it habitable for humans to live on. The concept of terraforming developed from both science fiction and actual science. Carl Sagan, an astronomer, proposed the planetary engineering of Venus in 1961, which is considered one of the first accounts of the concept. The term was coined by Jack Williamson in a science-fiction short story ("Collision Orbit") published in 1942 in '' Astounding Science Fiction'', although terraforming in popular culture may predate this work. Even if the environment of a planet could be altered deliberately, the feasibility of creating an unconstrained planetary environment that mimics Earth on another planet has yet to be verified. While Venus, Earth, Mars, and even the Moon have been studied in relation to the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Qanat
A qanat or kārīz is a system for transporting water from an aquifer or water well to the surface, through an underground aqueduct; the system originated approximately 3,000 BC in what is now Iran. The function is essentially the same across North Africa and the Middle East but the system operates under a variety of regional names: ''qanat'' or kārīz in Iran, ''foggara'' in Algeria, ''khettara'' in Morocco, ''falaj'' in Oman, ''karez'' in Afghanistan, ''auyoun'' in Saudi Arabia, et al. The largest extant and functional qanat systems are located in Iran, Afghanistan, Oman, the oases of Turfan region of China, Algeria, and Pakistan. This is a system of water supply that allows water to be transported over long distances in hot dry climates without loss of much of the water to evaporation. The system has the advantage of being resistant to natural disasters such as earthquakes and floods, and to deliberate destruction in war. Furthermore, it is almost insensitive to the level ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Melange (fictional Drug)
Melange (), often referred to as "the spice", is the fictional psychedelic drug central to the Dune (franchise), ''Dune'' series of science fiction novels by Frank Herbert and derivative works. In the series, the most essential and valuable commodity in the universe is melange, a drug that gives the user a longer life span, greater vitality, and heightened awareness. In some humans, the spice can also unlock prescience, a form of precognition based in genetics but made possible by use of the drug in larger dosages. Among other functions, prescience makes safe and accurate interstellar travel possible. However, melange is also highly addictive, and withdrawal is fatal. Harvesting melange is also hazardous in the extreme, as its only known source is the harsh desert planet Arrakis, and melange deposits are guarded by giant sandworm (Dune), sandworms. Description Properties Melange is a drug that prolongs life and bestows heightened vitality and awareness, and in some humans unlocks ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Precipitation (meteorology)
In meteorology, precipitation is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that falls under gravitational pull from clouds. The main forms of precipitation include drizzle, rain, sleet, snow, ice pellets, graupel and hail. Precipitation occurs when a portion of the atmosphere becomes saturated with water vapor (reaching 100% relative humidity), so that the water condenses and "precipitates" or falls. Thus, fog and mist are not precipitation but colloids, because the water vapor does not condense sufficiently to precipitate. Two processes, possibly acting together, can lead to air becoming saturated: cooling the air or adding water vapor to the air. Precipitation forms as smaller droplets coalesce via collision with other rain drops or ice crystals within a cloud. Short, intense periods of rain in scattered locations are called showers. Moisture that is lifted or otherwise forced to rise over a layer of sub-freezing air at the surface may be condense ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Frank Herbert's Dune
''Frank Herbert's Dune'' is a three-part science fiction television miniseries based on the 1965 novel by Frank Herbert. It was written and directed by John Harrison. The cast includes Alec Newman as Paul Atreides, William Hurt as Duke Leto Atreides, and Saskia Reeves as Lady Jessica, as well as Ian McNeice as Baron Vladimir Harkonnen and Giancarlo Giannini as the Padishah Emperor Shaddam IV. The miniseries was shot in Univisium (2.00:1) aspect ratio, although it was broadcast in 1.78:1. ''Frank Herbert's Dune'' was produced by New Amsterdam Entertainment, Blixa Film Produktion, and Hallmark Entertainment. It was first broadcast in the United States on December 3, 2000, on the Sci Fi Channel. It was released on DVD in 2001 by Artisan Entertainment, with an extended director's cut appearing in 2002. A 2003 sequel miniseries titled ''Frank Herbert's Children of Dune'' continues the story, adapting the second and third novels in the series (1969's ''Dune Messiah'' and its 197 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Princess Irulan
Princess Irulan is a fictional character in the Dune (franchise), ''Dune'' universe created by Frank Herbert. She first appears in ''Dune (novel), Dune'' (1965), and is later featured in ''Dune Messiah'' (1969) and ''Children of Dune'' (1976). The character's birth and early childhood are touched upon in the ''Prelude to Dune'' prequel trilogy (1999–2001) by Herbert's son Brian Herbert, Brian, and Kevin J. Anderson, and she is a principal character in the Herbert/Anderson series ''Heroes of Dune'' (2008–2009). The character of Irulan serves as a ''de facto'' narrator in ''Dune'', with excerpts of her later writings used as epigraph (literature), epigraphs before each chapter of the novel. Within the storyline, Irulan is established as the eldest daughter of the 81st Padishah Emperor Shaddam IV and Anirul, a Bene Gesserit of Hidden Rank, and has four younger sisters and no brothers. In ''Dune'', the character appears in person only near the end of the novel, but continues as ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Muad'Dib
Paul Atreides (; later known as Paul Muad'Dib, and later still as The Preacher) is a fictional character in the ''Dune'' universe created by Frank Herbert. Paul is the primary protagonist in the first two novels in the series, ''Dune'' (1965) and ''Dune Messiah'' (1969), and returns in ''Children of Dune'' (1976). The character is brought back as two different gholas in the Brian Herbert/Kevin J. Anderson novels which conclude the original series, '' Hunters of Dune'' (2006) and ''Sandworms of Dune'' (2007), and appears in the prequels ''Paul of Dune'' (2008) and ''The Winds of Dune'' (2009). According to Brian Herbert, Frank Herbert's son and biographer, House Atreides was based on the heroic but ill-fated Greek mythological House Atreus. A primary theme of ''Dune'' and its sequels is Frank Herbert's warning about society's tendencies to "give over every decision-making capacity" to a charismatic leader. He said in 1979, "The bottom line of the ''Dune'' trilogy is: beware of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
