Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

How Mercury and Venus can guide our hunt for alien life on exoplanets
New Scientist ^ | June 19, 2019 | Leah Crane

Posted on 06/22/2019 9:29:56 PM PDT by EdnaMode

Earth's nearest neighbours have turned into uninhabitable hellholes. Understanding their transformation will teach us which rocky exoplanets might be fit for life

CLOSE to the sun lie a pair of sizzling coals. You could be forgiven for thinking these strange worlds were two circles of hell: Mercury, a black and blasted plain, and Venus, a sweltering world beset by rain of pure acid.

But for all the terror of their outward appearance, their insides are remarkably familiar. Along with Earth and Mars, they form the solar system’s only rocky planets, a stark contrast to the bloated gas giants that make up its outermost worlds. In the language of those hunting for extraterrestrial life, such planets count as potentially habitable. In fact, if we found a Mercury or a Venus in a solar system far from our own, we might even call them Earth-like.

So what caused these seemingly Earth-like planets to become so resolutely, well, not? Was it some accident of composition, or millions of years spent in an inhospitable environment? Getting to the bottom of these questions, and understanding the diversity of rocky planets, is of paramount importance for astronomy. Without clear answers, we aren’t only ignorant of our own solar system’s history, but blinkered in our search for life elsewhere.

Part of the problem is that the innermost planets are incredibly hard to visit. Only two spacecraft have ever made it to Mercury and of the numerous Venus landers, none survived longer than 90 minutes.

(Excerpt) Read more at newscientist.com ...


TOPICS: Astronomy; Chit/Chat; Science; Society; Weird Stuff
KEYWORDS: astronomy; catastrophism; earth; electricuniverse; exoplanets; fauxiantrolls; immanuelvelikovsky; leahcrane; mercury; mercuryintransit; newscientist; retrograderotation; science; slowaxialrotation; venus; xplanets
Mercury and Venus are uninhabitable hellholes? They must have elected Democrats.
1 posted on 06/22/2019 9:29:56 PM PDT by EdnaMode
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: EdnaMode

“Earth’s nearest neighbours have turned into uninhabitable hellholes.” Really? How do you know that and when were they not “uninhabitable hellholes?” Always start with a false premise and watch the liberals fall in line. Nonsense.


2 posted on 06/22/2019 9:35:05 PM PDT by Fungi
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: EdnaMode

im not so sure mercury is an ‘uninhabitable hellhole’

maybe the author was thinking of Chicago (or SF or LA or Detroit or/?) instead?


3 posted on 06/22/2019 9:38:00 PM PDT by faithhopecharity ( “Politicians are not born; they are excreted.” Marcus Tullius Cicero (106 to 43 BCE))
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: EdnaMode

speaking of this ridiculousness, where is that UFO guy? seems like his handle started with a Q.

*not to be confused with the present day Q freaks, of course.


4 posted on 06/22/2019 9:57:50 PM PDT by JohnBrowdie
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: EdnaMode
Why are they hell holes?

1) Too small or too big
2) Too close or too far from sun
3) No magnetic field to protect an atmosphere from the solar wind and cosmic rays
4) No moon to provide tides
5) Improper tilt or rate of rotation
6) Unlucky history, e.g. hit by enormous asteroid or rogue planet
7) Insufficient amount of liquid water

5 posted on 06/22/2019 10:00:15 PM PDT by who_would_fardels_bear
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: JohnBrowdie

You mean QUIX!


6 posted on 06/22/2019 10:00:38 PM PDT by who_would_fardels_bear
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: KevinDavis; annie laurie; Knitting A Conundrum; Viking2002; Ernest_at_the_Beach; Mmogamer; ...
Thanks EdnaMode.
 
X-Planets
· join · view topics · view or post blog · bookmark · post new topic · subscribe ·
Google news searches: exoplanet · exosolar · extrasolar ·

7 posted on 06/22/2019 10:17:25 PM PDT by SunkenCiv (Imagine an imaginary menagerie manager imagining managing an imaginary menagerie.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: 75thOVI; Abathar; agrace; aimhigh; Alice in Wonderland; AnalogReigns; AndrewC; aragorn; ...
Thanks EdnaMode.



8 posted on 06/22/2019 10:17:43 PM PDT by SunkenCiv (Imagine an imaginary menagerie manager imagining managing an imaginary menagerie.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: JohnBrowdie
where is that UFO guy? seems like his handle started with a Q.

That would be Quix. He's no longer in residence here, but still lurks.

9 posted on 06/22/2019 10:18:28 PM PDT by Windflier (Torches and pitchforks ripen on the vine. Left too long, they become black rifles.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: JohnBrowdie; who_would_fardels_bear; Quix
I miss Quix. Meanwhile...
Is such a thing even possible?  Yes, it is.

10 posted on 06/22/2019 10:21:20 PM PDT by SunkenCiv (Imagine an imaginary menagerie manager imagining managing an imaginary menagerie.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: Windflier
I was sort of keeping in touch with him, but mea culpa, I'm not too great at that. [blush]

11 posted on 06/22/2019 11:02:56 PM PDT by SunkenCiv (Imagine an imaginary menagerie manager imagining managing an imaginary menagerie.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 9 | View Replies]

One night with Venus, a lifetime with Mercury.

12 posted on 06/22/2019 11:11:09 PM PDT by SunkenCiv (Imagine an imaginary menagerie manager imagining managing an imaginary menagerie.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: EdnaMode

The cosmic equivalent of them anyway.


13 posted on 06/23/2019 5:31:51 AM PDT by wally_bert (Disc jockeys are as intwerchangeable as spark plugs.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson