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I don't get the impression there's currently a bandwidth problem here that needs optimizing. It's also not completely clear how inhospitable to life they truly

I don't get the impression there's currently a bandwidth problem here that needs optimizing. It's also not completely clear how inhospitable to life they truly are. Being the most abundant type of star in the galaxy by far, it makes sense to study them very closely to at least rule out the potential for life.

jl6 3y ago
Regular solar flares could be bad for any lifeforms trying to get a stable civilization together, but on the other hand, all that energy arriving in the atmosphere could trigger some very life-conducive chemistry, similar to how we theorize that lightning was involved in our own primordial soup.
radicalbyte 3y ago
The habitable zone is very close to the star; this results in a high probability of the planet being tidally locked and a high probability of being affected by solar flares.
- standardly 3y ago
  A tidally locked planet would be neat if civilization could exist there. One side would be constantly hot, and the other would be frozen, but there would exist a temperate climate zone in a longitudinal ring connecting the poles. Almost like a ring planet from Halo. I remember an interesting astrobotany paper hypothesizing that if plants were to evolve on a red dwarf planet, there would be selective pressure for them to be black rather than green (for maximum light absorption, as most light would be infrared).
  - api 3y ago
    You could also put solar up along the edge and even on the hot side and have tons of energy with no need for storage. It’d be like a poor man’s Dyson sphere.
    - standardly 3y ago
      Neat idea. Imagine getting solar/thermal energy from one half of the planet, and housing supercomputers and genetic databanks on the cold side, with population centers living in the temperate ring. Or, the rich people could live in the temperate zone while the poor people choose between burning and freezing. Brb, writing a dystopian sci-fi.
      - shagie 3y ago
        > Brb, writing a dystopian sci-fi. Make sure to give Proxima by Baxter a read.
  - hooo 3y ago
    super interesting. it also seems like there are tons of tidally locked planets.
  - ikrenji 3y ago
    wouldn't this lead to basically having constant hurricane strength winds in the "temperate" zone though
  - radicalbyte 3y ago
    Such a planet would likely suffer from extreme weather to a level which would make the planet incompatible with the life forms which thrive on Earth.
- TheBlight 3y ago
  Some recent research suggests these stars may flare primarily at the poles, unlike our sun: https://skyandtelescope.org/astronomy-news/red-dwarfs-arent-so-bad-for-planets-after-all/ https://skyandtelescope.org/astronomy-news/red-dwarfs-arent-...

jl6 3y ago

Regular solar flares could be bad for any lifeforms trying to get a stable civilization together, but on the other hand, all that energy arriving in the atmosphere could trigger some very life-conducive chemistry, similar to how we theorize that lightning was involved in our own primordial soup.

radicalbyte 3y ago

The habitable zone is very close to the star; this results in a high probability of the planet being tidally locked and a high probability of being affected by solar flares.

standardly 3y ago
A tidally locked planet would be neat if civilization could exist there. One side would be constantly hot, and the other would be frozen, but there would exist a temperate climate zone in a longitudinal ring connecting the poles. Almost like a ring planet from Halo. I remember an interesting astrobotany paper hypothesizing that if plants were to evolve on a red dwarf planet, there would be selective pressure for them to be black rather than green (for maximum light absorption, as most light would be infrared).
- api 3y ago
  You could also put solar up along the edge and even on the hot side and have tons of energy with no need for storage. It’d be like a poor man’s Dyson sphere.
  - standardly 3y ago
    Neat idea. Imagine getting solar/thermal energy from one half of the planet, and housing supercomputers and genetic databanks on the cold side, with population centers living in the temperate ring. Or, the rich people could live in the temperate zone while the poor people choose between burning and freezing. Brb, writing a dystopian sci-fi.
    - shagie 3y ago
      > Brb, writing a dystopian sci-fi. Make sure to give Proxima by Baxter a read.
- hooo 3y ago
  super interesting. it also seems like there are tons of tidally locked planets.
- ikrenji 3y ago
  wouldn't this lead to basically having constant hurricane strength winds in the "temperate" zone though
- radicalbyte 3y ago
  Such a planet would likely suffer from extreme weather to a level which would make the planet incompatible with the life forms which thrive on Earth.
TheBlight 3y ago
Some recent research suggests these stars may flare primarily at the poles, unlike our sun: https://skyandtelescope.org/astronomy-news/red-dwarfs-arent-so-bad-for-planets-after-all/ https://skyandtelescope.org/astronomy-news/red-dwarfs-arent-...