One of the measure for the habitability of exoplanets is their obliquity — the angle of the axis relative to the orbit around a star . Current thought process holds that the more uttermost the tilt , the less likely the possibility of life . But MIT researchers suggest one illustrious elision : a cosmos entirely covered by water .
Illustration by Christine Daniloff for MIT
Typically speaking , an Earth - like planet tilted horizontally , like a spinning rotisserie , would not be premier extraterrestrial substantial demesne . As it revolves around its star , the north terminal would experience daylight ceaselessly for six month , and then darkness for six months . Such a existence would alternately seethe and freeze , represent a very inimical surround for life story .
However , David Ferreira , who precede a research team at MIT ’s Department of Earth , Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences , developed a computer feigning that , he says , find that a major planet - sized ocean would store heat energy during the summertime and then secrete it in wintertime , so “ the mood is still somewhat meek , even in the heart of the cold icy night . ” When seek for inhabitable exoplanets , he adds , “ do n’t brush off high - deceptiveness I as unsuitable for life . ”
As a report from MITexplains :
Ferreira and his colleagues used a model develop at MIT to simulate a mellow - deceptiveness “ aquaplanet ” — an ground - sized planet , at a similar distance from its sun , incubate all in water system . The three - dimensional model is designed to assume circulations among the air , ocean , and ocean shabu , taking into the account the effect of winds and inflame in driving a 3000 - meter deep ocean . For comparison , the investigator also coupled the atmospheric model with simplify , motionless “ swamp ” oceans of various depths : 200 meter , 50 meters , and 10 beat .
The researchers used the detailed model to simulate a planet at three obliquities : 23 degrees ( represent an Earth - like contestation ) , 54 academic degree , and 90 arcdegree .
For a planet with an extreme , 90 - degree contestation , they found that a spheric ocean — even one as shallow as 50 meters — would absorb enough solar zip throughout the diametric summertime and let go it back into the atmosphere in winter to maintain a rather modest climate . As a result , the planet as a whole would experience bound - like temperature year round .
“ We were expecting that if you put an ocean on the major planet , it might be a mo more habitable , but not to this point , ” Ferreira says . “ It ’s really surprising that the temperatures at the rod are still habitable . ”
Among the exoplanets break thus far , there are one or two planetary - sized worlds out of a thousand that come along to have densities comparable to water system . As such , enounce Darren Williams , a professor of physics and astronomy at Pennsylvania State University , “ the probability of an all - urine planet is at least 0.1 percentage . ”
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