How Gaseous, Neptune-Like Planets Can Become Habitable

An anonymous reader writes: Life as we know it requires small, rocky planets. The gas giants of our solar system aren't habitable (to our knowledge), but a research team has discovered that smaller, Neptune-like planets can be transformed into gas-free, potentially habitable worlds with a little help from red dwarf stars. Such planets are usually formed far out in a planetary system, but tidal forces can cause them to migrate inward. When they reach the habitable zone of their host star, they absorb far larger amounts of x-ray and ultraviolet radiation. This can eventually boil off most of the the gas atmosphere, leaving behind the core: a small, rocky world capable of supporting life.

Comments

Gas giants

[XxtraLarGe]

The gas giants of our solar system aren't habitable (to our knowledge)

Pfft! You obviously haven't seen Jupiter Ascending yet! Then again neither have it, but that's beside the point.

Re:Wouldn't it be easier

[Infiniti2000]

Took some significant technology improvements in MOO2, that's for sure.

Terrraforming

[aardvarkjoe]

Apparently the secret to creating a habitable world is to remove the cloud of gas that surrounds Uranus?

Can we test on Jupiter?

[Dareth]

"This can eventually boil off most of the the gas atmosphere, leaving behind the core: a small, rocky world capable of supporting life.'

So after nano tech fiber makes space elevators possible, we can then work on a planet towing device to drag Jupiter in to the sweet spot where it will boil away and leave us Jupiter-2, Rocky Core Edition? Oh wait, first we need to drag a Red Dwarf star into our solar system. Damnable prerequisites.