ughaku

Ughaku is a fictional planet featured in the science fiction novel "The Serpent's Coil" by Arthur C. Clarke. The planet is depicted as a tidally locked world, meaning one side perpetually faces its star while the other remains in eternal darkness. This extreme environmental condition shapes the unique ecosystem and life forms found on Ughaku.

The story describes Ughaku as having a harsh, volcanic surface on its star-facing side, while the dark side is characterized by immense glaciers and frozen landscapes. Life on Ughaku is adapted to these extreme conditions, with organisms evolving to survive intense heat, crushing pressure, or extreme cold depending on their location. The novel explores the potential for life in such seemingly inhospitable environments and the challenges faced by explorers encountering them. The civilization on Ughaku, if any, is not extensively detailed, with the focus remaining on the planet's physical characteristics and the speculative biology of its inhabitants. The concept of Ughaku serves as a backdrop for the novel's exploration of humanity's place in the cosmos and the vast diversity of potential worlds.