The planet, Darwin IV, is also in an almost perfectly circular orbit that lasts 1.6 Earth-years. Darwin IV’s primary sun is three times higher than Earth’s sun but is twice as far away, so the daytime sky on Darwin IV is not quite as bright as the daytime sky on Earth. The secondary star is from 80 to 120 times fainter than the primary. (By comparison, Earth’s moon is about 400,000 times fainter than our sun).

Darwin IV Facts
(At time of departure)
Gravity: 0.6 Earth
Solar energy at top of atmosphere: 79% that of Earth
Atmospheric density: 200% that of Earth (est.)
Microscopic life present: Some indication
Macroscopic life present: Unknown

Darwin IV is the fourth planet in the star system now known as Darwin. Darwin was one of the first stars around which a planet in the “habitable zone” was discovered. Once analysis of its spectrum revealed strong indicators for the presence of life, it was renamed Darwin in honour of the famous founder of the scientific theory of evolution.