Mysteries of Planet Maf
Gravity - The first mystery the "Original Colonists" recognized while on approach to the huge planet is its unusually low gravity for a planet its size. Normal gravity for a 101,000 mile diameter planet should be much higher, but the gravity for Maf is less than a tenth of that which would be normally expected at 1.12 G.
Revolution - Maf's annual year is also unusual. The planet experiences a year of just 380.28 days when it should be much greater due to the distance of its orbit from its central star.
Rotation - 26 Hours. Maf experiences a day of 26 hours, just two hours more than that of Earth. This is an extraordinarily fast rotation period and remains unexplained.
"Parallel Development" - First speculated on Earth just months before the Ark Royal was boarded and left Earth orbit, Maf seems to be a prime example demonstrating the prima facie evidence of Parallel Development.
Parallel Development states that any two humanoid species may experiences parallels in development including technological advances, time measurements, medicine, science, culture, customs, and history.
The primary continent of Maf seems to meet these criteria with the Original Colonists landing in an era that looked remarkably like the late 1800s on Earth. The locals referred to their own year as "1893".
World War 1 engulfed the eastern nations of the continent began in 1914 and ended 4 years later in 1918.
World War 2 began in 1941 in the southwest of the continent eventually engulfing much of the continent and ended with 2 atomic blasts in 1945.
From the end of World War 2, Maf's history with Earth began to divert sharply and no additional parallels were observed.
Some have speculated that the divergence from the "norm" of parallel development began as a result of World War 2 bringing the Original Colonists across the continent and exerting a much greater influence on the affairs of nations, science, and academia than had been extent before World War 2.
After World War 2, the Original Colonists, having spread across the continent to aid in the war effort, were pushing technological progress and development as quickly as the native inhabitants could assimilate.
This led to massive changes in the natural development of the inhabitants of Maf subsequently diverting them away from parallel development.
Humanoid Lifeforms - Why are so many lifeforms, including the primary races on Maf expressing themselves in humanoid forms? Scientists do not yet have an adequate explanation for this phenomenon.
Maf Atmosphere - Although predominantly blue in color, the Maf atmosphere often shows shades of pink with gold "crystal sparkles." Although this phenomenon has not yet been conclusively identified, it exists across the whole planet.
It is believed that these "sparkles" may have something to do with the Original Colonists experiencing a lengthened longevity and very good health and vitality upon arrival, to an average of 120 years.
Although this would be "upper middle age" now due to technological progression and medical advances, originally this longevity was unexpected and a pleasant surprise to the Original Colonists. (Technically, if you have the money, eternal life could be attained through either upgrades or repairs to an individual's original body or through the use of clones.)
Many plants and animals, as well as the Original Colonists, also experienced greater health, more vitality, larger growth and longer lifespans.
Curiously, some of those plants and animals expected to do well on the planet died or simply never gained traction.