Circulon

Circulon, also known as Spheron III or Geometrica VIc, is one of the three moons of the planet Spheron. It is the largest and outermost moon of Spheron, and is often known as the "Rogue Moon" owing to the vast number of differences between it and the "starter" moons, Arcaelion and Kerithis.

Unlike the starter moons, Circulon did not form along with its parent planet. Instead, Circulon was once itself an icy dead planet with the same size and mass as Earth, albeit one that had an irregular, unstable orbit. After being captured by the combined gravity of Spheron and its moons, Circulon became a moon itself. Following the integration, Spheron's magnetic field began interacting with that of Circulon, while the planet and the other moons also tidally heated it with their gravity. This caused an upwelling of heat within Circulon, which caused the ice to melt and form moonwide oceans. Cyanobacteria developed within the oceans, forming a habitable atmosphere. After this, the moon was swiftly colonized by the residents of its parent planet, the Spherimals. The Spherimals also brought many Spheronian plants and animals to the moon, while still leaving enough space for native Circulonian species to develop on their own. Circulon ended up looking much like Spheron and its other moons.

Circulon is massively different from the other two moons. It orbits in the same direction as Spheron's rotation, it is twice the size of the other two moons, it possesses its very own self-supporting magnetic field (Arcaelion and Kerithis have weak magnetic fields, requiring the protection offered by the enormous magnetic field of Spheron to stay habitable) and it is not affected by magnetic storms, although it does contribute to them on the other two moons. Circulon is also the only moon of Spheron that is not tidally locked to the planet. While the starter moons both have one side constantly facing Spheron, Circulon orbits close enough to Spheron to avoid drifting away from the planet, but is far enough from Spheron to rotate independently of its orbital period. Circulon therefore completes a full rotation every 18 hours, four hours faster than its parent planet.

Like the other moons of Spheron, Circulon has its very own biosphere, consisting mostly of Spheronian plants and animals, but with some species that are unique to the moon. Circulon is also known for the Tangled Skein, also known as the Forest of the Lost, a massive forest that covers almost a fourth of the moon's surface, which is extremely difficult to navigate and escape. Like the other moons, Circulon is also treated largely as a tourist attraction, but has more permanent residences on it than the other moons. Parts of the moon have been converted into nature reserves where the native life can exist undisturbed by Spheronian life. Circulon is a popular location for Spheronian weddings and honeymoons, where weddings are often chosen to take place during "Spheronrise". This is the term used to describe Spheron rising into the skies of Circulon as the moon rotates. During some Spheronrises, one or both of the other moons can be seen transiting the planet.