[Default] I missed the Staff meeting, but the Memos showed that
jdnicoll@panix.com (James Nicoll) wrote on Wed, 8 Sep 2010 14:33:45
+0000 (UTC) in soc.history.what-if :
>In article ,
>a425couple wrote:
>>"Naraht" wrote in message...
>>> This is more sort of a research question.
>>> -------- how large or
>>> small can the planet be to be habitable by humans?
>>> Any ideas where to look for info on this?
>>
>>Well, my first idea is to ask on the newsgroup -
>>alt.astronomy
>
>sci.astronomy, surely?
>
>>Not necessarily the "best" idea, but the "first".
>>Be prepared to do some thinking, and research
>>in picking through a variety of types of answers
>>(separating wheat from chaff).
>>
>>How do I explain?? Visiting that newsgroup can
>>make one happy at the level of discussion present
>>on this newsgroup.
>
>What a nice way to say "it's overrun with tin-foil hat types
>foaming at the mouth at the injustice of the world for
>not lauding them." Even one of the sci.space.* groups
>would be better.
>
>You can get a rough idea about the necessary size range for
>habitable worlds by looking around the solar system: 10%
>of Earth's mass seems to be too small, judging by Mars,
>but ten times (well, 14) is clearly too big to avoid having
>an annoyingly large amount of atmosphere [1].
>
>The OP could start here:
>
>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planetary_habitability
>
>Usual wikipedia disclaimer applies.
>
>1: Although there's a model that says if a Neptune-like world
>ends up in the habitable zone of a star, it loses the esxcess
>H2 and what you get is a massive but not very dense ocean-world,
>potentially habitable if the ice-whatever at the bottom of the
>deep deep ocean doesn't seal off access to nutrients.
Odd question,while we're planet making. How big could you accrete a
planet which would result in habitability? That is to say, can I
borrow a Vogon constructor fleet, and take a couple earth like
planets (they have boiled off enough H2 and He to become 'rocky"
planets, but retain an O2 atmosphere), gently "mush" them together,
resulting in a planet which masses on the order of a small gas giant.
Or two or three times the mass of earth. Aside from that small
detail of having a surface gravity higher than Earths, would it be
habitable? I don't think you could get any help from a fast rotation,
I doubt centrifugal force would really counter gravity at the plant
surface, even at the equator.
--
pyotr Filipivich
"Bother," said Pooh, "Eeyore, ready two photon torpedoes and
lock phasers on the Heffalump. Piglet, meet me in transporter
room three. Christopher Robin, you have the bridge." |
