Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

How Gaseous, Neptune-Like Planets Can Become Habitable

Posted by Soulskill on from the how-to-terraform-your-neighbor-in-six-easy-steps dept.

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.

8 of 65 comments (clear)

  1. An X-Ray baked hellscape sound perfect by jandrese · · Score: 4, Insightful

    This sounds like a great way to make a Mercury type planet, but I'm not so sure it will be so great at making a place you would want to live.

    --

    I read the internet for the articles.
  2. Wouldn't it be easier by rossdee · · Score: 2

    Wouldn't it be easier to terraform the moons of gas giants

    1. Re:Wouldn't it be easier by Infiniti2000 · · Score: 3, Funny

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

    2. Re:Wouldn't it be easier by Livius · · Score: 2

      Ten km of ice can help with the radiation, so Europa is likely quite capable of supporting life. But Europa is not *habitable* by human standards.

  3. next daft question by ihtoit · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Did Earth once possess a much larger (Neptune-sized or even larger?) atmosphere, maybe sometime way before the Hadean period? I can see the hydrogen/helium literally boiling off by a warming sun, leaving behind the heavier gases. Maybe we're looking at what Earth has now completely in the wrong way, considering that even at 430km the ISS is being slowed by atmospheric drag - common assumption has it that "Space" occurs at what, shy of 100km? This Karman line isn't a solid boundary with Space above and Air below, it's a convenient mark on a piece of paper.

    --
    Political debates have me rolling my eyes so much I think I got optical whiplash. I should sue. - Foamy The Squirrel
  4. Can we test on Jupiter? by Dareth · · Score: 3, Funny

    "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.

    --

    I only look human.
    My mother is a halfling and my dad is an ogre, so that makes me an Ogreling
  5. How convenient by Tablizer · · Score: 2

    Notice how the article used Neptune instead of Uranus as an example.

    --
    Table-ized A.I.
  6. Re:'Death' Star was just a terraforming laser by WhiplashII · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Another Star Wars reader: it actually explains this in one of the books by Stackpole - The Emperor created the so-called "death stars" for rapid mineral extraction from planet sized objects. It was only meant for peaceful uses, until Rebel Terrorists took the first one and blew up Alderaan; the Emperor then had that one destroyed. The second one was almost taken over by the Rebel Terrorists and the Emperor ordered it destroyed, at the cost of his own life.

    It must be true, it was in a museum on Coruscant.

    --
    while (sig==sig) sig=!sig;