List of Foundation universe planets

This is a list of Foundation universe planets featured or mentioned in the Robot series, Empire series, and Foundation series created by Isaac Asimov.

61 Cygni

The star system 61 Cygni, in the Sirius Sector, is advanced by Lord Dorwin as the potential site for a planet of origin for the human species. Lord Dorwin cites 'Sol' and three other planetary systems in the Sirius Sector, along with Arcturus in the Arcturus Sector, as potential original worlds. This fact seems to be contradicted by information given in Foundation and Earth.

Alpha

Alpha is a fictional planet orbiting the larger of the two stars in the Alpha Centauri system.

In Asimov's Foundation Series, Alpha Centauri is cited by Lord Dorwin as one of the solar systems where humankind potentially originated. The others are Sol, Sirius, 61 Cygni and Arcturus. Beyond mentioning that it is in the Sirius Sector, Dorwin gives no further details.

In a later book, Foundation and Earth, Alpha is a planet orbiting the larger of the two stars in the Alpha Centauri system. Golan Trevize discovers Alpha when he attempts to find the location of Earth by locating the center of a 'best sphere' made from the co-ordinates of the 50 Spacer worlds.

The planet is discovered to be entirely covered by an ocean, with the exception of a single island with a surface area of 15,000 square kilometres. (For comparison, Sicily is just over 25,000 square kilometres.) The inhabitants call it New Earth and live a simple lifestyle. While the inhabitants seem to be warm and welcoming, co-existing peacefully in an egalitarian society, this might be a show designed to put foreign visitors at ease while they were infected with a virus. The only certain facts about New Earth culture are that both women and men are completely shirtless, weather permitting, and the men engage in long sea voyages to fish.

The planet Alpha was apparently terraformed habitable by the old Galactic Empire and its only land surface is the small island on which the Alphans live. This can be explained by its history: according to information pieced together by Janov Pelorat, the Galactic Empire, likely under Kandar V, laboured to create land on which the last refugees of Earth could live. Then the funds and interest of the Empire ran out and the plans for continents were scrapped. Alpha was left alone for millennia, with only highly advanced weather control and biotechnology.

Alpha first appears in Foundation and Earth, which confirms a merger between the Spacer and Foundation series. In the Spacer series, the planet Aurora in the Tau Ceti system is the first extrasolar colony, suggesting that Alpha Centauri had no habitable worlds. This fits with the late and expensive settlement of Alpha.

Less easily understood is the belief in the early Foundation era that Alpha Centauri might have been the original solar system; a terraformed planet with a very small land area would not be plausible. However, as Alpha is depicted as being solely aquatic with the exception of its single island, it could feasibly have been a planet whose ice caps had melted, covering what might have originally been a larger landed area. Such would likely have been the reasoning of someone like Lord Dorwin. This could just as easily be explained (as it is in the series itself) by the deterioration in standards of academic research in the late Imperial Era, implying that Lord Dorwin and his ilk were not given to actually going to places and gathering firsthand evidence, but preferred to pore through available archives from which by this stage much was missing. Alpha and Sol were therefore not worlds Dorwin knew by experience, but only by vague report.

Anacreon

Anacreon (also known as Anacreon A II) is a planet near the outer end of the periphery and as part of the Galactic Empire was the capital of Anacreon subprefecture, Anacreon prefecture, and Anacreon province and later the Anacreon Kingdom.

Arcturus

Arcturus is one of the major planets.

Askone

Askone is one of the planets in the Galactic Periphery, near Glyptal IV.

Asperta

Mentioned by Mayor Indbur in Foundation and Empire, as a planet to which the Foundation protested some 'sharp trade practises'.

Aurora

Main article: Aurora (planet)

Aurora was the first world settled by the Spacers, originally named 'New Earth'; it is located in the Tau Ceti system, 3.7 parsecs (12 light-years) from Earth.

Baronn

A planet mentioned in Pebble in the Sky, as the birthplace of Bel Arvardan.

Bonde

Mentioned by Mayor Indbur in Foundation and Empire, one of the planets in the Foundation.

Cil

Mentioned in Second Foundation. It lay on the normal trade route between Kalgan and Tazenda.

Cinna

Mentioned in Prelude to Foundation. Dors Venabili was supposedly from Cinna. The only known descriptions of Cinna come from Dors, and since she was a robot that most likely had never been to Cinna, they may not be accurate. According to Dors, Cinna is a small, unimportant world, where the amount of cloth in beachwear leaves 'very little to the imagination'.

Comporellon

Comporellon orbits the star that is known today as Epsilon Eridani. The planet was originally known as Baleyworld and later became known as Benbally World. This world is known to be very cold, and to the lower limits of comfort.

Daribow

A former Imperial Prefect in the Anacreon province. It's mentioned in Foundation by Anselm Haut Rodric as a possible threat to Terminus' independence from the recently formed Kingdoms.

Derowd

A planet mentioned by Dors Venabili in Prelude to Foundation. On Derowd, promiscuous sexual activity was permitted without restraint even in public, providing traffic was not blocked. The idea was to allow people to live out all their fantasies, so they would be ready to settle down after marriage. After marriage, the concept of monogamy was absolute and unbroken. The practise stopped around 11,700 G.E. Many associates of Dr. Venabili believed that this was from pressure by other planets, who lost a great deal of tourist business to Derowd.

Earth

Main article: Earth (Foundation universe)

Earth has an alternate future history in the Foundation universe.

Erythro

Erythro is the moon of Megas, a gas giant in the novel Nemesis.

Euterpe

One of the Spacer worlds. It was a popular tourist destination for the spacers, because of its exceptionally large rainforests. Euterpe has one satellite, 'Gemstone', with a radius of 120 km (75 mi). It is named after Euterpe, the Muse of music.

Florina

In The Currents of Space, Florina is the home of "kyrt," a fiber-producing plant that grows only on Florina, and which is woven into an extremely strong yet beautiful cloth. It is in practical serfdom to the planet Sark.

Fomalhaut

A planet mentioned in the Empire Series whose inhabitants speak an extreme dialect of Galactic Standard Speech. Compare Fomalhaut, a star in the real universe.

Gaia

Main article: Gaia (Foundation universe)

Gaia is located in the Sayshell Sector, about ten parsecs (32 light-years) from Sayshell. It is featured prominently in Foundation and Earth. It is the origin world of the planetary intelligence known as Gaia.

Gamma Andromeda

Gamma Andromeda is a star system in which a nuclear meltdown occurred in 50 F.E, in Foundation by Isaac Asimov. The meltdown killed several million people and destroyed at least half the planet. It was caused by ill-done repairs and shoddy-made replacement parts done several decades before. Following the incident on Gamma Andromeda V, the Galactic Empire considered severely limiting the use of nuclear power.

Getorin

Mentioned in Forward the Foundation. In the book, Hari Seldon attempted to convince Yugo Amaryl to take a break from working on psychohistory and take a vacation on Getorin, a 'resort planet nearby' (near Trantor). It was probably part of the pre-Imperial Kingdom of Trantor.

Glyptal IV

A planet in the Glyptal System in the Galactic Periphery. The Foundation was attempting to bring it into its religious sphere of influence roughly twenty years before the war with Korell. Limmar Ponyets happened to be on Glyptal IV in time to be sent to Askone to rescue Eskel Gorov. During this mission, Askone began to be brought under the Foundation's influence.

Haven

Mentioned in Foundation and Empire. It was one of the Association of Independent Trading Worlds, quasi-independent from the Foundation. It was the second planet in its star system, a barren world made primarily of uneroded rock formations. Most of the cities were in underground caves. One of these cities, Gleiar city, was the site of an attempted landing by Foundation tax-collectors. Toran Darell, husband of Bayta Darrell, was a native of Haven.

Helicon

Helicon is the name of the home planet of Hari Seldon, discoverer and developer of psychohistory. Helicon was small in population and not particularly rich in resources, and tended to be bullied by its more powerful neighbours. It was noted for martial arts (called 'Twisting' in the Foundation Universe). Hari Seldon claimed that the best Twisters came from Helicon, although his objectivity is questionable. It may be covered primarily by land, as opposed to sea. Tobacco may be grown there, though the only evidence of this is Seldon's father's supposed occupation, labelled by the Encyclopedia Galactica 'a legend of doubtful validity'. In the seventh century of the tenth millennium of the Galactic Era, a large movement of Heliconians convinced themselves that Helicon was the only inhabited world in the Galaxy, in a manner possibly alluding to the Flat Earth Society.

Two indigenous species are known: the lamec, a beast of burden, and the greti, a dangerous animal. The names of these animals are most likely anagrams of camel and tiger, respectively. Further evidence can be inferred from local Helicon saying recited by Seldon: "If you ride a greti, you find you can't get off; for then it will eat you." This saying bears uncanny resemblance to the well-known Chinese proverb "騎虎難下" (He who rides the tiger finds it difficult to dismount).

Apart from Arcturus, it is the only known planet in the Arcturus Sector.

Hesperos

A Spacer planet in Robots and Empire. It was one of the original Spacer worlds, and the one on which Vasilia Aliena awaited the death of her father, Han Fastolfe. It is named after Hesperos, the Greek god associated with the star Venus.

Horleggor

The site of the Mule's first victory against the Foundation.

Ifni

Ifni was the site of a battle during the Foundation's war with Kalgan; with the exception of the F.S. Ebling Mis, all ships in the Foundation squadron were destroyed.

Iss

A planet in Foundation and Empire. It was one of the Association of Independent Trading Worlds, which were quasi-independent from the Foundation. Together with Haven and Mnemon, it represented half of the military power of the traders. At the Radole conference, Iss was represented by One Mangin.

Jennisek

The traditional local rival/enemy of Helicon, as described in Prelude to Foundation by Hari Seldon.

Kalgan

For most of the history of the Galactic Empire, Kalgan was a semi-tropical resort world, 7000 parsecs from Terminus and about 3000 parsecs from Trantor. Despite the breakdown of the Empire, Kalgan continued its prosperity under the rule of a series of princes.

Kalgan was one of the first planets taken over by the Mule in his string of conquests. After he defeated the Foundation, the Mule made it the capital of his Union of Worlds. After the Mule died, Kalgan was ruled by a series of First Citizens from Han Pritcher to Stettin. The last of these, emboldened by the legacy of the Mule, launched a war against the Foundation. After the war ended in the defeat of Kalgan, the Kalganian Navy was dismantled, and the 27 worlds remaining in the Union were allowed to vote for return to the Union, full independence, or entry into the Foundation union.

Konom

A former Imperial Prefect in the Anacreon province. It's mentioned in Foundation by Anselm Haut Rodric as a possible threat to Terminus' independence from the recently formed Kingdoms.

Korell

Located after the Whassalian Rift (relative to Terminus), Korell is the capital of the Republic of Korell, a union of worlds.

Libair

Home planet of Dr. Selim Junz in The Currents of Space. Mentioned as a planet with some of the galaxy's darkest-skinned people. The planet evidently takes its name from Liberia, a country in Africa, which would explain a dark-skinned genetic inheritance. Its people have a dim memory of their ancestors having fled from persecution or defeat in battle, which causes Junz to feel sympathy with the opressed Florinians. This might refer either to Liberia having been founded by freed slaves from America, or to some much later event in galactic history of which Asimov provides no further details.

Livia

Briefly mentioned in Foundation and Earth. It was the home world of the scientist Humbal Yariff, who attempted to find the location of Earth.

Locris

Locris (also spelled Loris) was 20 parsecs (65 light-years) from Terminus, and 800 parsecs (2600 light-years) from Santanni. Locris exported wine, which was noted for excellent quality. Captain Han Pritcher was a native of Loris. Loris was briefly held by the Empire during the campaigns of Bel Riose. It is named after Locris, a region of ancient Greece.

Lyonesse

Mentioned by Mayor Indbur in Foundation and Empire, forming a trade agreement with the Foundation. It was conquered by the Mule in 300 F.E.

Lystena

A planet on the outer edge of the Galaxy mentioned in Forward the Foundation.

Mandress

Mentioned in Foundation's Edge. It was in the inner provinces of the old Galactic Empire, to which Harla Branno served as an ambassador in her earlier years.

Melpomenia

The nineteenth Spacer World settled, mentioned in Foundation and Earth. It contained a large monument called the 'Hall of the Worlds', which contained a large room with the fifty Spacer Worlds listed with co-ordinates on seven columns; Melpomenia was the origin point. Using data from these columns, translated by Janov Pelorat, Golan Trevize was able to construct a sphere, the centre of which would be roughly close to Earth. The planet itself, however, was rendered virtually uninhabitable by a radical climate change; the only life form able to survive it was a carbon-dioxide feeding 'moss'. Golan Trevize had to use his blaster to melt away the alien substance on his ship, and the face plates on his and Pelorat's space suits. Only after bathing the rest of the ship in the UV rays of the sun did he leave the forsaken planet. It is presumably named for Melpomene, the Muse of Tragedy.

Mnemon

Mentioned in Foundation and Empire, one of the members of the Association of Independent Trading Worlds, quasi-independent from the Foundation. Together with Haven and Iss, it represented half of the traders' military capacity. It was represented at the Radole Conference by Ovall Gri. Partway through the conference, Mnemon was attacked by the Mule. Because of the tenacity of the traders, the Mule would not have been successful if he had not had an atomic-field depressor. This event pushed the Traders into war, siding with the Foundation against the Mule.

Mores

Mentioned by Mayor Indbur in Foundation and Empire, it completed a commercial treaty with the Foundation in 300 F.E.

Nebula Kingdoms

"Nephelos" redirects here. For the units of measurement of suspended particulates in a liquid or gas colloid, see Nephelos turbidity units.

The Nebula Kingdoms are a set of planets within or nearby the Horsehead Nebula. They are Lingane, Nephelos, Rhodia, and Tyrann.

Neotrantor

Neotrantor, or 'New Trantor', became the de facto 'capital' of the Empire, after Gilmer sacked Trantor. The planet was originally called Delicass, and rules over only 20 planets. Delicass and its attendant worlds consisted of a 'Planetary Granary' for Trantor herself, which is only 3 Parsecs distant, and whose primary is a bright star in the crowded skies of this province. Politically, it is ruled by a corrupt governor, Jord Commason.

The last mentioned Emperor of the Galaxy, Dagobert IX and his son, the Crown prince, died on this planet. It is stated that the dynasty has lasted for about half a century afterwards.

Neotrantor has a similar significance in the history of the Galactic Empire as Ravenna did for the remnant Roman Empire.

Nexon

At 2 parsecs (6.5 light-years) from Solaria, it formed with Solaria the closest pair of Spacer worlds. (Solaria was settled from Nexon.)

Nishaya

Part of the pre-Imperial Kingdom of Trantor, Nishaya is mentioned in Forward the Foundation. At the end of the Empire it was noted for its goat herding and high-quality cheeses. Laskin Joranum pretended to be from Nishaya during his campaign to overthrow Eto Demerzel. What gave him away to Hari Seldon was his perfect mastery of the Trantorian dialect; real Nishayans spoke a very different dialect of Galactic Standard.

Ophiuchus

A barbarous world once thought to have developed before hyperspatial travel.

Orsha II

A system in the Normannic Sector of the Galactic Empire, mentioned in Foundation. The inhabited planet is Orsha II, the second planet of the system. The capital of the Normannic Sector was originally Siwenna (20 parsecs, or 65 light-years, away), but after the first Siwennian rebellion, it was moved to Orsha II.

Rhampora

Famous for its oysters.

Rhea

Rhea is one of the two largest planets in the Galactic south.

Rigel

A planet in the Empire Series. In the first millennium of the Galactic Era, its inhabitants developed a robotic culture. Because this made Rigellians so passive, they were easy prey for the warlord Moray.

Rossem

During the days of the Galactic Empire, it was used as a political prison, and housed a small naval garrison and an observatory (Second Foundation, chapter 3). After the fall of the Empire, it was conquered by the "Oligarchy of Tazenda", which levied taxes to be paid in foodstuffs, brought to the village of Gentri where the governor lived. During his search for the Second Foundation, the Mule's soldiers, Bail Channis and Han Pritcher, came to Rossem. The Mule, meanwhile, destroyed Tazenda, assuming it was the Second Foundation. He assumed incorrectly, and was defeated by the First Speaker of the Second Foundation.

Rossem was exceptionally cold, and was thus barren with a low population, exclusively in the equatorial regions.

Salinn

The first planet to be aware of the Mule's advance on the Foundation.

Santanni

Santanni is 9000 parsecs (29,000 light-years) from Trantor and 800 parsecs (2600 light-years) from Locris.

In 12,058 G.E. the population of Santanni attempted to rebel against the Galactic Empire. Raych Seldon, son of psychohistorian Hari Seldon, was killed in the rebellion, valiantly defending the University of Santanni.

After the founding of the Foundation, Santanni traded with it until the trade route was cut off by the rebellion of Anacreon. One thing known to have been made on Santanni was the cigar box possessed by Jord Fara, and later by Salvor Hardin.

It was captured in the early stages of the war with Kalgan. After the death of the Mule, Santanni was instrumental in breaking the siege on Terminus levied by the Mule's successor, Han Pritcher in 308 F.E.

Sarip

Sarip is a planet near Anacreon.

Sark

In The Currents of Space, Sark rules over Florina and controls the galactic trade of the cloth kyrt.

Sayshell

At the time of the novel Foundation's Edge, Sayshell was capital of the 86 worlds in the Sayshell Union.

Sirius

The Sirius system was a capital of the Sirius Sector, and one of the planets advanced by some late Galactic Era archaeologists as the planet of origin for the human species. Between 800–900 G.E., a planet in the Sirius system was one of the ten most populated planets in the Galaxy.

Siwenna

Siwenna was capital of the Normannic Sector of the Galactic Empire, and once one of its richest planets.

Smitheus

One of the fifty Spacer worlds.

Smushyk

A planet mentioned in Second Foundation, located in the Galactic Periphery.

Smyrno

Located in the Anacreon Province, it was one of four prefects in the Anacreon Province that rebelled against the Galactic Empire c.50 F.E. The planet itself is located 50 parsecs (163 light-years) from Terminus. Its name is a parallel with Smyrna, an important city of the Roman Empire in Anatolia. Smyrno is hot and dry, the rooms smell of sulphur, and people live underground. Its most famous citizen is Hober Mallow, one of the major characters from the Foundation Series.

Solaria

Main article: Solaria

Solaria was the last of the fifty worlds to be colonized by the Spacers, settled in approximately 4270 A.D. by inhabitants of the neighboring world Nexon originally for summer homes.

Synnax

The birthplace of Gaal Dornick, it was in a stellar system orbiting a region called the 'Blue Drift', which is on the Trailing Arm of the Galaxy. Travel to Trantor is expensive, thanks to its relative position to the Galactic black hole. In this way it is similar to Hari Seldon's home world of Helicon. Synnax's system contains an asteroid field, as well as a set of gas giants.

Tazenda

Tazenda is an oligarchy of 27 planets which stayed out of interstellar politics. It was considered by The Mule to be the home of the Second Foundation because of its location 120 radial degrees from Terminus, its location in a constellation visible from Trantor (giving it the name "Star's End"), and its name sounding similar to "Star's End." It was attacked and destroyed by the Mule in 315 F.E. It was not, in fact, the location of the Second Foundation.

Terel

One of the Association of Independent Trading Worlds. Had a minor victory against the Mule.

Terminus

Main article: Terminus (planet)

Terminus is the sole planet orbiting an isolated star. The capital of Terminus is Terminus City, home of Cyclopedia Square.

Trantor

Main article: Trantor

Trantor is in the center of the habitable part of the galaxy.

Vega

It was capital of the Vega Province in the Galactic Empire, one of the wealthiest provinces in the entire Galaxy. Until the revolt of the Anacreon Prefect, it traded with Terminus, capital of the Foundation. One of the known quantities it exported was tobacco, of notably high quality.

Vincetori

Mentioned in Second Foundation. It lay on the standard trade route between Kalgan and Tazenda.

Voreg

A planet in the Anacreon Prefect, close to the capital system Anacreon.

Wanda

The temporary headquarters for the navy of Bel Riose, General of the Galactic Empire, during the war between the Empire and the Foundation. Ducem Barr and Lathan Devers were kept in a prison on Wanda during this war, and Devers' ship was impounded there also.

Wencory

Home planet of Las Zenow (12008–?????), chief librarian of the Library of Trantor. Zenow returned to Wencory when he retired. (Mentioned in Forward the Foundation).

Zoranel

A planet considered as an exile place for 50 members of the Second Foundation (including Pelleas Anthor) at the end of Second Foundation, in 378 F.E.