4 ms·

The hot side of JWST is currently 57c, that's a lot of energy to capture.

• moralestapia 5y ago
  Ok, but then (and my curiosity is sincere) why would you need a plant to "stay warm" at 57°C. Because of the night? But that could be solved with some sort of passive solution that buffers the temperature along the day, not neccessarily producing its own heat.
  • blacksmith_tb 5y ago
    Would night have to happen? In lots of orbits couldn't the plant keep the window facing the sun continuously? I assume in general staying warm is a plus for making reactions (like photosynthesis) easier and faster, so better for building a big living colony.
    • moralestapia 5y ago
      You're absolutely right! Night is a little thing that happens to us but is far from universal, never thought of that. So, then again, why would you need to warm yourself if you get a warm sun shower perpetually?
  • vimax 5y ago
    If it's an asteroid what is night even like? It seems like it'd be a lot less extreme than a planet. I could imagine a plant that walks along the surface to stay in the sunlight. Maybe lay down roots all over the asteroid to do the refining and have long tethered leaves always in the sun. If the leaf stalks can grow at the same rate as the asteroid rotation, just keep growing and wrapping the asteroid until you're left with nicely spooled refined materials. I don't think a hot blooded plant is practical or necessary, but there is enough energy that it could be possible.