Table of Contents
Why other planets are not suitable for life?
Low-mass planets are poor candidates for life for two reasons. First, their lesser gravity makes atmosphere retention difficult. Constituent molecules are more likely to reach escape velocity and be lost to space when buffeted by solar wind or stirred by collision.
What affects the climate of a planet?
On the surface, the greatest factor affecting Earth is sunlight. Sun provides energy for living organisms, and it drives our planet’s weather and climate by creating temperature gradients in the atmosphere and oceans.
Do other planets have bad weather?
The weather conditions on both Mercury and Venus are so extreme that we wouldn’t be able to survive on either planet. Jupiter and Saturn both sport powerful weather systems that many scientists compare to super hurricanes. Jupiter’s is known as the Great Red Spot and has been studied for decades.
Why are other planets warming?
There have been claims that warming on Mars and Pluto are proof that the recent warming on Earth is caused by an increase in solar activity, and not by greenhouse gases. But we can say with certainty that, even if Mars, Pluto or any other planets have warmed in recent years, it is not due to changes in solar activity.
Which other planet is suitable for life?
List
| Object | Star | Period (days) |
|---|---|---|
| Kapteyn b | Kapteyn’s Star | 48.6 |
| Kepler-452b | Kepler-452 | 384.8 |
| Kepler-62e | Kepler-62 | 122.4 |
| Kepler-1652b | Kepler-1652 | 38.1 |
How do we know the temperature of other planets?
The temperature can be inferred by what materials haven’t frozen out of the atmosphere yet, which can be determined with spectroscopy. Typically, the first one is done, and the second when a more accurate method cannot be used (IE, no direct spectrum of the planet observed).
Are there any planets that are cooling or warming?
Some, like Uranus, may be cooling. All the outer planets have vastly longer orbital periods than Earth, so any climate change on them may be seasonal. Saturn and its moons take 30 Earth years to orbit the Sun, so three decades of observations equates to only 1 Saturnian year.
How to ask students about weather on other planets?
Write students’ ideas on the board. Elicit responses such as temperature, winds, presence of water or ice, or whether a planet is made of gas or rock/soil. For each characteristic, ask: What might this tell us about the weather on that planet?
How are temperatures on other planets different from Earth?
If students have difficulty understanding temperatures that are below zero, draw a thermometer on the board and mark where the mercury falls with different temperatures in both Celsius and Fahrenheit. Talk about temperatures on Earth.
What would life be like on other planets?
For this series, written by Space.com contributor Joseph Castro, we wanted to know what the physical sensation of living on other worlds would be like: What would the gravity be like on Mercury; How long would your day be on Venus? What’s the weather on Titan?