Makushino

Makushino is a world orbiting the star 9 Ceti.

Characteristics
Makushino is ringed Earth-mass planet with similar characteristics to Mars. It is an immense Martian world with intermittent periods of water flow and glaciation. It orbits its parent star at a distance which allows it to recieve similar insolation to the Earth, but a major impact event (which created its ring system) and a lack of major moons caused active geology to quickly subside.

Makushino still retains its oxygen-nitrogen atmosphere, but much of its water is locked in ice since its thinning. Its geology occasionally "switches on" every few million years, causing the atmosphere to briefly re-thicken from vulcanism and water to flow freely on the surface once more. During these phases, algal colonies and unicellular life will proliferate along the coastlines, and then retreat back underground when the phase ends.