Planet

A planet is an astronomical body orbiting a star or stellar remnant that is massive enough to be rounded by its own gravity, is not massive enough to cause thermonuclear fusion.

There are many types of planets in the universe. Several thousands of planets around other stars ("extrasolar planets" or "exoplanets") have been discovered in the Milky Way. Those ideal for human habitation are found in the circumstellar habitable zone. On 20 December 2011, the Kepler Space Telescope team reported the discovery of the first Earth-sized extrasolar planets, Kepler-20e and Kepler-20f, orbiting a Sun-like star, Kepler-20. A 2012 study, analyzing gravitational microlensing data, estimates an average of at least 1.6 bound planets for every star in the Milky Way. Around one in five Sun-like stars is thought to have an Earth-sized planet in its habitable zone.

The Worlds of Man
In Chronology of the Future, man has gradually come to colonize and inhabit exoplanets, as of the 23rd century, with the first planet to be settled being Terranova, on 7th August 2256. Soon after, new technology allowed for the exploration of further solar systems, and the progressive settlement of 15 worlds.

The community of inhabited planets is generally referred to as "The Worlds of Man".

Inhabited Worlds as of 2556

 * Earth
 * Chinese People's Heavenly Home
 * Novaya Zemlya
 * Lundheim
 * Greenland
 * Veracruz
 * Tangiers
 * Gea
 * Isthmus
 * Aurora
 * Kepler, Sovereign
 * Sideralis
 * Modon
 * Koron
 * Guang Do
 * Terranova