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	Name	Each planet is given a standard name based on its system name. So if this planet is the fourth in the Richex system, then it will be named Richex IV. Once colonized, the owner of the planet can change the name to something which suits them.
	Size	Planets come in different sizes from Tiny to Huge. The size of the planet determines how much population, cargo, and facilities it can hold.
	Type	The physical type of the planet. Possible planet types are Rock, Gas, and Ice. Different planet types require different colonization technology to create a colony there. You start the game with the ability to colonize planets of the same type as your home planet. You must research technology to colonize other planet types.
	Atmosphere	The atmosphere type of this planet. Possible atmosphere types are Oxygen, Hydrogen, Carbon Dioxide, Methane, and None. Each race can only breathe one atmosphere type. If the race on the planet cannot breathe the atmosphere, then the colony will be "Domed". A Domed colony can only hold a small fraction of the normal amount of population.
	Conditions	These are the environmental conditions on the planet. Possible values for conditions range from Pleasant to Deadly. Conditions represent how difficult the environment on the planet would be to live in. The worse the conditions the more unhappy your people will become and the slower their reproduction will be.
	Value	This is the relative value of the planet in Minerals, Organics, and Radioactives (see Resources Types for more details). In a normal game, this will be shown as a percentage value. This percentage is a modifier placed on the amount of that resource type that you produce on the planet. There is an unlimited supply of resources that the planet can generate. In a Finite Resources game, the value of the planet will be the actual number of resources that remain on the planet. As you produce that type of resource on the planet, the total remaining will decrease.
	Population	The population on the planet is group of living beings which inhabit it. They are the workforce which operates the facilities on the planet. The Population of the planet is described by its reproduction and happiness. The reproduction of the population is how many people will be born in each year. The happiness is an indicator of the general mood of the population. As the people become happier, your planet will receive bonuses to its production amount. As the population grows unhappy, you will lose production. If the population becomes unhappy enough to riot, then no resources will be generated by the planet. Populations on a planet can actually be composed of different races. If one of these races cannot breathe the atmosphere, then the colony is considered Domed.
	Facilities	The main purpose of a planet is to add to the industrial base of the empire. Facilities are huge factories which can generate resources and add capabilities to the planet. Facilities are constructed on the planet, and once built, can never be moved. The population of the planet operates the facilities and their happiness and size modifies the production of the facilities. For the resources that your facilities generate to be received by the empire, you must have a Spaceport facility somewhere in the solar system.
	Cargo	Each planet can also hold a certain amount of cargo. Cargo can be composed of any kind of unit such as fighters, mines, troops, satellites, and weapon platforms. Cargo can be transferred from and to ships in orbit around the planet. Units can also be constructed by the planet, at which point they are placed into the cargo of that planet.
	Abilities	The abilities of the planet are modifiers or special capabilities that effect the planet. The size of the population on the planet can give bonus modifiers to the production of the facilities. The same goes for happiness, where the happier the population is, the more of a bonus the planet will receive to its resource production. In addition, the race that owns the planet may have racial characteristics which have an impact on the planet as well.
	Construction	Every planet which has a colony (and a population) can construct new items. These items are limited to new facilities and units, or to upgrade existing facilities. For a planet to be able to construct ships in space, it requires a Space Yard facility. A planet can only construct one item at a time. This item is set in the Set Construction Queue Window. The resources used for construction are pulled for the resource pool of the Empire.
	Colonization	If a planet does not currently have a colony on it, it can be colonized by an empire. To colonize a planet, you must move a ship (usually a Colony Ship) with a Colonization Component into orbit around the planet. You then issue the colonization order for the ship to have it colonize the planet and deconstruct itself for raw materials used in the colony. The colony also requires a population to be a functioning colony. Usually this population is carried aboard the Colony Ship itself and is then dropped on the planet when the colonization takes place.
	Asteroids	A close cousin to the planet is an asteroid belt. An asteroid group can be formed naturally or by a destroyed planet. Asteroids cannot be colonized like a planet, but they can be remotely mined by ships at that location. See Resource Types for more details.
	Blockade	If there are enemy ships in orbit around your planet, then you cannot get your resources to your empire. This is called a "Blockade" and means that your resources are lost until there are no longer enemy ships in orbit around your planet.

	Planets are large bodies formed in space by stellar material. These planets are locked into an orbit around a star (or stars) which form the center of the solar system. Planets exist in different sizes and may support atmospheres of different types. Planets can hold populations of different races and allow them to thrive and grow. Once colonized, the planet can hold numerous facilities and cargo. An empire's life blood are the colonies which house its populations.