Ellendri Chronicles Backgrounder Part 4

Malon is a medium-sized gas giant. The brilliant red hues in Malon's clouds are the result of hydrogen gas in the atmosphere.  The paler bands are generated by the upwelling of chromophores, compounds formed from sulfur, phosphorus, or hydrocarbons which change color when exposed to ultraviolet light from Hauldrÿn.

Malon has a large ring system composed of water ice, rock particles, and tholins - a wide variety of organic compounds formed by the reaction of ultraviolet irradiation or cosmic rays with simple carbon-containing compounds such as carbon dioxide, methane, or ethane, often in combination with nitrogen. These organic compounds produce the darker reds and browns.