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Is that exo-planet tidally locked? Probably not if it has an atmosphere

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posted on Jan, 15 2015 @ 03:48 PM
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phys.org...


Leconte and his team reached their conclusions via a three-dimensional climate model they developed to predict the effect of a given planet's atmosphere on the speed of its rotation, which results in changes to its climate," said Leconte. "Atmosphere is a key factor affecting a planet's spin, the impact of which can be of enough significance to overcome synchronous rotation and put a planet in a day-night cycle."

Read more at: phys.org...


What this means is a lot of planets we thought were inhospitable to life except extremophiles probably are a lot more life friendly. I am not certain how this affects planets close to red dwarfs but it should have some applicability.

in short there is another reason to look seriously at red dwarfs other than the fact statistically nearly all of them have planets and a good portion a majority in fact are said to have planets in the life zone. prior to this such a close relationship would automatically cause astronomers to declare said planets tidally locked. now what?



posted on Jan, 15 2015 @ 04:04 PM
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At one point we thought the world was flat (it might be, who knows, im not NASA) Look at us now!



posted on Jan, 15 2015 @ 04:15 PM
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originally posted by: stormbringer1701
phys.org...


Leconte and his team reached their conclusions via a three-dimensional climate model they developed to predict the effect of a given planet's atmosphere on the speed of its rotation, which results in changes to its climate," said Leconte. "Atmosphere is a key factor affecting a planet's spin, the impact of which can be of enough significance to overcome synchronous rotation and put a planet in a day-night cycle."

Read more at: phys.org...


What this means is a lot of planets we thought were inhospitable to life except extremophiles probably are a lot more life friendly. I am not certain how this affects planets close to red dwarfs but it should have some applicability.

in short there is another reason to look seriously at red dwarfs other than the fact statistically nearly all of them have planets and a good portion a majority in fact are said to have planets in the life zone. prior to this such a close relationship would automatically cause astronomers to declare said planets tidally locked. now what?


Well, certainly something to chew on along with the Weetabix in the mornings, although there is that little praragraph,

"Whether this new understanding of exoplanets' climate increases the ability of these planets to develop life remains an open question."
That's in there even though earlier it talks about "Planets with potential oceans could have a climate that is much more similar to Earth's than previously expected,"
So far Mars is the local yokel that should've fitted the bill at sometime we are increasingly told. Makes youwonder if these guys here know more than the plebs are given, or are they building on what is coming out of Mars?

Good find BTW.

edit on 15-1-2015 by smurfy because: Text.



posted on Jan, 15 2015 @ 05:03 PM
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Mars has several factors that probably decided its fate. i am curious as to what the uranium and thorium content of the inner regions of Mars are. Earth's uranium and thorium play a big part in the life span of the magnetic dynamo that provides us with a robust magnetic field and vulcanism and plate tectonics. This allows earth to retain more of it's atmosphere, maintain liquid oceans and the deep hydrological cycle.

Mars is less massive and has only 33 or so percent the gravity Earth enjoys. this makes it 66 percent harder for light gasses to escape Earths atmosphere compared to Mars. On mars it is 66 percent easier for the atmosphere to escape. not even counting the fact that the nearly non existent magnetic field contributes to this tendency too.

if you had Earth's atmosphere scaled to fit Mars on Mars right now; 300,000 years from now Mars would be in the same atmospheric conditions it has in real life right now.

If all the above were wrong it is still possible some comet or asteroid blew the Martian Atmosphere away.



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