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#595775 - 17/06/08 08:27 AM
New Batch of Super Earths Discovered
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Anonymous
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Nothing like a good ol' science thread. Discuss.  New Planets Discovered Favorite part of this discovery: "They orbit their star at extremely rapid speeds -- one whizzing around in just four days, compared with Earth's 365 days, one taking 10 days and the slowest taking 20 days." Now here's my question... with a planet moving at that speed, could life be sustainable on it?
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#595776 - 17/06/08 08:32 AM
Re: New Batch of Super Earths Discovered
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Anonymous
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Originally posted by BluMerle:
Now here's my question... with a planet moving at that speed, could life be sustainable on it? no
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#595777 - 17/06/08 08:56 AM
Re: New Batch of Super Earths Discovered
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Member
Registered: 21/09/01
Posts: 6539
Loc: Downtown Houston, TX
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Fast or not... they're too hot for life. http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/space/06/17/super.earths.ap/index.html They are much too hot to support life, Queloz said.
_________________________
You should listen to your heart, and not the voices in your head. - Marge Simpson
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#595779 - 17/06/08 09:08 AM
Re: New Batch of Super Earths Discovered
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Anonymous
Unregistered
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Originally posted by XPLORx4: Originally posted by bpc: [b] Originally posted by BluMerle:
[b]
Now here's my question... with a planet moving at that speed, could life be sustainable on it? no[/b] ![[Huh?]](graemlins/huh.gif) Now why would that be? Would the creatures fall off and go flying into space? ![[LOL]](graemlins/lol.gif) ![[Too much XOC]](graemlins/dead.gif) [/b]What a cruel existence that'd be! Not sure if anyone would know this, but how many hours would there be in a day if a planet moves at that speed?
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#595780 - 17/06/08 09:42 AM
Re: New Batch of Super Earths Discovered
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Member
Registered: 30/01/03
Posts: 3238
Loc: Windham, NH
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Originally posted by BluMerle: Originally posted by XPLORx4: [b] Originally posted by bpc: [b] quote:
Originally posted by BluMerle:
Now here's my question... with a planet moving at that speed, could life be sustainable on it? no[/b] What a cruel existence that'd be! Not sure if anyone would know this, but how many hours would there be in a day if a planet moves at that speed?
I believe you are mixing two things up:
1--the rate at which the planet orbits its sun, which translates into what we call a "year"
and
2--the rate at which the planet rotates on its axis which translates into what we call a "day"
While a "year" on these planets appears to be very short--4 to 20 "earth days" their rate of axial rotation is unknown from the posts I have seen and could be quite long or could infact be tidally locked, meaning that they have no rotation whatsoever and thus have no "days"...just one side permanently facing its sun and one side in the dark all the time, like our moon...
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#595781 - 17/06/08 09:46 AM
Re: New Batch of Super Earths Discovered
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Anonymous
Unregistered
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Originally posted by spalind: Originally posted by BluMerle: [b] Originally posted by XPLORx4: [b] quote:
Originally posted by bpc:
quote:
Originally posted by BluMerle:
Now here's my question... with a planet moving at that speed, could life be sustainable on it? no[/b] What a cruel existence that'd be! Not sure if anyone would know this, but how many hours would there be in a day if a planet moves at that speed?
I believe you are mixing two things up:
1--the rate at which the planet orbits its sun, which translates into what we call a "year"
and
2--the rate at which the planet rotates on its axis which translates into what we call a "day"
While a "year" on these planets appears to be very short--4 to 20 "earth days" their rate of axial rotation is unknown from the posts I have seen and could be quite long or could infact be tidally locked, meaning that they have no rotation whatsoever and thus have no "days"...just one side permanently facing its sun and one side in the dark all the time, like our moon...
Ah! Yes, you're right... I confused the concepts. D'oh!
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#595782 - 17/06/08 10:58 AM
Re: New Batch of Super Earths Discovered
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Anonymous
Unregistered
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Life according to whose rules? Who's to say that there can't be life out there that does not conform to "our" rules of existence? It was once believed that there was no way life could exist in the deepest depths of our oceans, places like the bottom of the Marianas Trench. Yet, later discoveries have proven that wrong. Nor was it believed that life could exist any where near the volcanic vents. As it too was considered too hot and chemically polluted by the vents. Yet again, as they learn more, life is predominant in both areas. So what rules do you apply to determine whether life could exist somewhere? My .02 worth... -G
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#595783 - 17/06/08 01:57 PM
Re: New Batch of Super Earths Discovered
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Anonymous
Unregistered
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Wow, just think of all the Birthday presents !
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#595786 - 17/06/08 07:47 PM
Re: New Batch of Super Earths Discovered
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Member
Registered: 12/09/00
Posts: 8374
Loc: the hue of dungeons and the sc...
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Originally posted by BluMerle:
I believe you are mixing two things up:
1--the rate at which the planet orbits its sun, which translates into what we call a "year"
and
2--the rate at which the planet rotates on its axis which translates into what we call a "day" Also known as revolution (around the sun) and rotation (around it's axis). While a "year" on these planets appears to be very short--4 to 20 "earth days" their rate of axial rotation is unknown from the posts I have seen and could be quite long or could infact be tidally locked, meaning that they have no rotation whatsoever and thus have no "days"...just one side permanently facing its sun and one side in the dark all the time, like our moon... If I'm not mistaken, the moon DOES have a rotation - it's equal to it's revolution period...about 27 days. Since the moon's revolution is ALSO that time period, it only appears that it doesn't (and hence why we only ever see one side of the moon). If it truly had no rotation, we would see both sides of the moon at some point (because of its revolution).
_________________________
"Nature has constituted utility to man the standard and test of virtue. Men living in different countries, under different circumstances, different habits and regimens, may have different utilities; the same act, therefore, may be useful and consequently virtuous in one country which is injurious and vicious in another differently circumstanced" - Thomas Jefferson, moral relativist
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#595788 - 17/06/08 09:07 PM
Re: New Batch of Super Earths Discovered
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Member
Registered: 10/09/01
Posts: 169
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While a "year" on these planets appears to be very short--4 to 20 "earth days" their rate of axial rotation is unknown from the posts I have seen and could be quite long or could infact be tidally locked, meaning that they have no rotation whatsoever and thus have no "days"...just one side permanently facing its sun and one side in the dark all the time, like our moon... If I'm not mistaken, the moon DOES have a rotation - it's equal to it's revolution period...about 27 days. Since the moon's revolution is ALSO that time period, it only appears that it doesn't (and hence why we only ever see one side of the moon). If it truly had no rotation, we would see both sides of the moon at some point (because of its revolution). You're right. Its called tidal locking.
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#595789 - 17/06/08 09:20 PM
Re: New Batch of Super Earths Discovered
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Member
Registered: 12/09/00
Posts: 8374
Loc: the hue of dungeons and the sc...
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Originally posted by flintstrike: [b]While a "year" on these planets appears to be very short--4 to 20 "earth days" their rate of axial rotation is unknown from the posts I have seen and could be quite long or could infact be tidally locked, meaning that they have no rotation whatsoever and thus have no "days"...just one side permanently facing its sun and one side in the dark all the time, like our moon... If I'm not mistaken, the moon DOES have a rotation - it's equal to it's revolution period...about 27 days. Since the moon's revolution is ALSO that time period, it only appears that it doesn't (and hence why we only ever see one side of the moon). If it truly had no rotation, we would see both sides of the moon at some point (because of its revolution). Right, but isn't the way BluMerle described it incorrect? meaning that they have no rotation whatsoever and thus have no "days" If you have no rotation, you DO have days. If you have rotation equal to revolution, then you have no "days" as far as sunlight goes.
_________________________
"Nature has constituted utility to man the standard and test of virtue. Men living in different countries, under different circumstances, different habits and regimens, may have different utilities; the same act, therefore, may be useful and consequently virtuous in one country which is injurious and vicious in another differently circumstanced" - Thomas Jefferson, moral relativist
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#595790 - 18/06/08 06:52 AM
Re: New Batch of Super Earths Discovered
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Anonymous
Unregistered
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Originally posted by Mobycat: Originally posted by flintstrike: [b] quote:
[b]While a "year" on these planets appears to be very short--4 to 20 "earth days" their rate of axial rotation is unknown from the posts I have seen and could be quite long or could infact be tidally locked, meaning that they have no rotation whatsoever and thus have no "days"...just one side permanently facing its sun and one side in the dark all the time, like our moon... If I'm not mistaken, the moon DOES have a rotation - it's equal to it's revolution period...about 27 days. Since the moon's revolution is ALSO that time period, it only appears that it doesn't (and hence why we only ever see one side of the moon). If it truly had no rotation, we would see both sides of the moon at some point (because of its revolution). Right, but isn't the way BluMerle described it incorrect? meaning that they have no rotation whatsoever and thus have no "days" If you have no rotation, you DO have days. If you have rotation equal to revolution, then you have no "days" as far as sunlight goes.[/b]
Here's what I've gathered from your comments...
The measurement of a year is relative to the amount of time it takes for a planet to complete one revolutional orbit around its sun. i.e. our planet takes 365 days to completely orbit our sun. Now using your example again... if a planet completes it's revolutional orbit around its sun and during the same time made a full 360 degree rotation on its axis a "day" on that planet would equal what we think of as a year.
Maybe I've over simplified this... 
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