Exoplanets
Sep. 5th, 2024 07:58 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ysabetwordsmithResearchers discover a space oddity -- an exoplanet moving in mysterious ways
A research team has discovered a small planet that displays peculiar orbital motion. The shimmying planet, located 455 light-years from Earth, shows that planetary systems can be considerably more complex than researchers have previously thought.
The newly discovered planet TOI-1408c has a mass equivalent to eight Earths and circles very close to a larger planet, the hot gas giant TOI-1408b. After starting to study both planets and their star, TOI-1408, in detail, the researchers felt puzzled. The small planet has a very peculiar orbital motion. The interactions between the two planets and their star can be likened to a rhythmic dance.
"The small planet exhibits very unusual orbital behaviour and shows considerable variations regarding the time when it passes in front of its star, which is something that we don't see as a rule. The small planet's existence challenges existing theories on the formation and stability of planetary systems," says Judith Korth, astrophysicist at Lund University and leader of the study.
:D Now imagine what kind of mythology would arise around that, from the perspective of a sapient race living on that planet.
A research team has discovered a small planet that displays peculiar orbital motion. The shimmying planet, located 455 light-years from Earth, shows that planetary systems can be considerably more complex than researchers have previously thought.
The newly discovered planet TOI-1408c has a mass equivalent to eight Earths and circles very close to a larger planet, the hot gas giant TOI-1408b. After starting to study both planets and their star, TOI-1408, in detail, the researchers felt puzzled. The small planet has a very peculiar orbital motion. The interactions between the two planets and their star can be likened to a rhythmic dance.
"The small planet exhibits very unusual orbital behaviour and shows considerable variations regarding the time when it passes in front of its star, which is something that we don't see as a rule. The small planet's existence challenges existing theories on the formation and stability of planetary systems," says Judith Korth, astrophysicist at Lund University and leader of the study.
:D Now imagine what kind of mythology would arise around that, from the perspective of a sapient race living on that planet.
(no subject)
Date: 2024-09-06 05:24 am (UTC)--Jessica
Yes ...
Date: 2024-09-06 05:41 am (UTC)So let's say a minimum of four sapient species. More if there are extras because some planets have diverse habitats. Frex, the ice world might have a cold-hardy surface-dwelling species and an aquatic one that lives under the ice; the hot world might have a desert species on the surface and an aerial one up where it's cooler). Hmm, the Earth-sized moon might have a sapient plant species, because it's getting resources from both the sun and its host planet. For the super-Earth, it's so big that it reduces competition for territory, thus may have a sapient family tree with multiple extant branches, the way Homo was for most of history.
A challenge will be the size of the super-Earth. If it's makeup is similar, the gravity will be much higher. If it's less dense, the gravity will be more reasonable, but it is likely to be poor in metals and other heavier elements. Neither of these conditions bode well for space travel "as we know it." Maybe they base their technology more on ceramics than metals? Or maybe the moon figures out space travel first, via plants that launch themselves into space to spread their seeds. All four are close enough that they could theoretically exchange a few bits of life all along.
Lo and behold, this month's Creative Jam theme (Sept. 14-15) will be "Stars." Feel free to save this and pitch it as a prompt then! :D
Re: Yes ...
Date: 2024-09-07 03:47 am (UTC)--Jessica