Post by The Dranz on Feb 16, 2012 18:43:46 GMT -5
Another cracked.com article thought this time about 6 real planets that you thought would have only belonged to science fiction.
This article raises discussion about what we thought we knew about planets and outer space. It also raises theories about what other possible planets could be out there.
#6. Gliese 436 b Is Coated in Burning Ice
But Gliese 436 b has the remarkable ability to defy everything you know about the predictability of matter. The gravity on the planet is so powerful that it compresses all of the water vapor in the atmosphere and pushes it together into a solid, forming a thick layer over the entire planet of what scientists call "ice ten."
So the result is kind of like the ice we have here on Earth, except it would do absolutely nothing for a warm soda, and holding a hunk of it in your hand would require you to get a new hand. So it would make the world's most awesome, destructive snowman, is what we're saying.
Titan Is Slathered in Fossil Fuels
Saturn's moon Titan is the only moon we know of with its own atmosphere. In fact, the atmosphere is so thick that we had no idea what the surface was made of until we sent a probe in 2005 (yes, we were banking on cheese here as well). From Titan, you wouldn't even be able to see Saturn's rings, because every day is the equivalent of the most miserable day in Seattle or England. Except instead of raining water, it rains fuel.
The atmosphere is dense enough and the gravity is weak enough that if you could construct yourself a set of wings, you could absolutely flap around through the sky, taking in the sights of that dismal, toxic wasteland.
#1. Gliese 581 c Is a Hellish Landscape With Black Plants and a Red Sky
Of the limited number of planets where humanity might actually be able to live, Gliese 581 c is the closest. But don't think that means it looks like Earth. Assuming it could sustain life, here's exactly what you could expect:
The planet orbits a red dwarf, so the sky would always be a bloody crimson. The red light wouldn't just make you feel strange; it would affect all vegetation, forcing every plant to attain photosynthetic energy from the infrared spectrum. The tangible consequence of that is that every plant would look pitch black.
You would also wake up each day to a perpetual state of twilight. That's because Gliese 581 c is so close to its star that it doesn't revolve anymore; one side of the planet always faces the star, and one side stays in darkness forever. The only place where you or anything else could survive is on the narrow strip between the two where the temperature is just right.
And with one side of the planet always hot and one always cold, you can expect some strange weather patterns, with gale winds perpetually surging from the hot to the cold side every day, along with permanent torrential rain, because there are no seasons.
So to summarize: red skies, black plants, gale winds, never-ending twilight and a step too far in one direction could lead to either freezing to death or incineration.
And yet, rather than tiptoeing around that planet and looking for life somewhere a little less terrifying, we're doing our best to wake up whatever nightmare might be living there already. In October 2008, we sent a message from Earth directly at Gliese 581 c, and it should reach the devil planet around 2029.
But Gliese 436 b has the remarkable ability to defy everything you know about the predictability of matter. The gravity on the planet is so powerful that it compresses all of the water vapor in the atmosphere and pushes it together into a solid, forming a thick layer over the entire planet of what scientists call "ice ten."
So the result is kind of like the ice we have here on Earth, except it would do absolutely nothing for a warm soda, and holding a hunk of it in your hand would require you to get a new hand. So it would make the world's most awesome, destructive snowman, is what we're saying.
Titan Is Slathered in Fossil Fuels
Saturn's moon Titan is the only moon we know of with its own atmosphere. In fact, the atmosphere is so thick that we had no idea what the surface was made of until we sent a probe in 2005 (yes, we were banking on cheese here as well). From Titan, you wouldn't even be able to see Saturn's rings, because every day is the equivalent of the most miserable day in Seattle or England. Except instead of raining water, it rains fuel.
The atmosphere is dense enough and the gravity is weak enough that if you could construct yourself a set of wings, you could absolutely flap around through the sky, taking in the sights of that dismal, toxic wasteland.
#1. Gliese 581 c Is a Hellish Landscape With Black Plants and a Red Sky
Of the limited number of planets where humanity might actually be able to live, Gliese 581 c is the closest. But don't think that means it looks like Earth. Assuming it could sustain life, here's exactly what you could expect:
The planet orbits a red dwarf, so the sky would always be a bloody crimson. The red light wouldn't just make you feel strange; it would affect all vegetation, forcing every plant to attain photosynthetic energy from the infrared spectrum. The tangible consequence of that is that every plant would look pitch black.
You would also wake up each day to a perpetual state of twilight. That's because Gliese 581 c is so close to its star that it doesn't revolve anymore; one side of the planet always faces the star, and one side stays in darkness forever. The only place where you or anything else could survive is on the narrow strip between the two where the temperature is just right.
And with one side of the planet always hot and one always cold, you can expect some strange weather patterns, with gale winds perpetually surging from the hot to the cold side every day, along with permanent torrential rain, because there are no seasons.
So to summarize: red skies, black plants, gale winds, never-ending twilight and a step too far in one direction could lead to either freezing to death or incineration.
And yet, rather than tiptoeing around that planet and looking for life somewhere a little less terrifying, we're doing our best to wake up whatever nightmare might be living there already. In October 2008, we sent a message from Earth directly at Gliese 581 c, and it should reach the devil planet around 2029.
This article raises discussion about what we thought we knew about planets and outer space. It also raises theories about what other possible planets could be out there.