Space
Rocky Exoplanet's Winds May Allow Worlds to Host Alien Life
Catherine Griffin
First Posted: Sep 15, 2015 10:12 AM EDT
When it comes to finding habitable planets, it may depend on a rocky planet's "air conditioning system." Scientists have found that some exoplanets that permanently face their sun with the same side could, potentially, be habitable.
Most exoplanets orbit relatively small and cool stars known as red dwarfs. Only exoplanets that orbit close to their star, though, can be warm enough for liquid water. In addition, being close to their star means that these potentially habitable planets are easier to detect and observe.
Many exoplanets that orbit closely to their stars, though, don't rotate like Earth. Instead, they have a side that always faces that star. As a result, they have permanent night and day sides. However, the climate on these planets isn't necessarily scorching hot on one side and freezing on the other. Why is this? It all has to do with an "air conditioning system."
Using 3D models, the researchers examined the possible climates of exoplanets. They found that on exoplanets with rotation periods under 12 days, an eastward wind jet known as superrotation forms in the upper layers of the atmosphere along the equator. This wind jet interferes with the atmospheric circulation on the planet, so that its day side becomes too hot to be habitable. However, another wind system is characterized by two weaker westward wind jets at high latitudes, and a third wind option combines weak superrotation with two high-latitude wind jets. These last two wind systems can cause a planet to be potentially habitable.
The findings reveal a bit more about exoplanets and show which ones may potentially be habitable. This is particularly important when deciding which planets to research in the future.
The findings are published in the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.
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First Posted: Sep 15, 2015 10:12 AM EDT
When it comes to finding habitable planets, it may depend on a rocky planet's "air conditioning system." Scientists have found that some exoplanets that permanently face their sun with the same side could, potentially, be habitable.
Most exoplanets orbit relatively small and cool stars known as red dwarfs. Only exoplanets that orbit close to their star, though, can be warm enough for liquid water. In addition, being close to their star means that these potentially habitable planets are easier to detect and observe.
Many exoplanets that orbit closely to their stars, though, don't rotate like Earth. Instead, they have a side that always faces that star. As a result, they have permanent night and day sides. However, the climate on these planets isn't necessarily scorching hot on one side and freezing on the other. Why is this? It all has to do with an "air conditioning system."
Using 3D models, the researchers examined the possible climates of exoplanets. They found that on exoplanets with rotation periods under 12 days, an eastward wind jet known as superrotation forms in the upper layers of the atmosphere along the equator. This wind jet interferes with the atmospheric circulation on the planet, so that its day side becomes too hot to be habitable. However, another wind system is characterized by two weaker westward wind jets at high latitudes, and a third wind option combines weak superrotation with two high-latitude wind jets. These last two wind systems can cause a planet to be potentially habitable.
The findings reveal a bit more about exoplanets and show which ones may potentially be habitable. This is particularly important when deciding which planets to research in the future.
The findings are published in the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.
Related Stories
Hubble Space Telescope Spots Cosmic Sunflower Galaxy with Stunning Detail
Rare Galaxy Cluster Has a Bursting Heart that Eats Gas Stolen from Other Galaxies
For more great science stories and general news, please visit our sister site, Headlines and Global News (HNGN).
See Now: NASA's Juno Spacecraft's Rendezvous With Jupiter's Mammoth Cyclone