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Over and over and over again planets are reported in habitable zones around flare stars just because they are easy to detect, not because they are actually habi

by dvh 3y ago

Over and over and over again planets are reported in habitable zones around flare stars just because they are easy to detect, not because they are actually habitable.

qayxc 3y ago
True. It's tiresome that a technical definition is so often misinterpreted as actual habitability. The authors are also overly optimistic when they point out that the M4 class host star is relatively calm due to its age. That fact wouldn't matter much, though, if the first billion years of the star's existence have sterilized the planet and stripped off its atmosphere...
- samstave 3y ago
  Maybe just come up with a better/different label for planets who share a similar ratio of planet-to-star characteristics with Earth, which is a sample size of known_to_support_life=1. "Orbital Cousins to Earth" OCEs. Find the # of OCEs, and maybe we have finer granulation, Second Cousins have an atmosphere, Step-sisters have water and an OnlyPlanets account... (which seems to be making the rounds at Nasa)
  - weard_beard 3y ago
    https://youtu.be/ErpU_tMoV0E https://youtu.be/ErpU_tMoV0E
    - samstave 3y ago
      Holy crap! I've never watched that show, but thats funny as heck that this was a thing. (and they even say "I don't have HydroStatic Equillibrium yet...) too funny is the Akashic Zeitgeist...
davedx 3y ago
The entire notion of a 'habitable zone' is also very over-simplistic. Europa is quite probably 'habitable'.
- 7373737373 3y ago
  I wish habitability metrics would be more holistic, taking into account the star and orbit characteristics, how sun+earthlike they really are
  - throwawayqqq11 3y ago
    > orbit characteristics Also, our earth did propably produce complex life so well because of the moon stabilizing earths rotation and allowing more or less stable climate. The mass ratio of moon/earth is comparably larger then other satellite systems, which, encorporated into the model of habitable zones, would make them much less common. Also, jupiter has a significant role in shielding earth from asteriods. Another aspect of stability. I agree, habitable zone is way more than just distance to star or enough gravity for an atmosphere and liquid water.
moralestapia 3y ago
>just because they are easy to detect Well, for some threshold of "easy" I guess.

by dvh 3y ago

Over and over and over again planets are reported in habitable zones around flare stars just because they are easy to detect, not because they are actually habitable.

qayxc 3y ago

True. It's tiresome that a technical definition is so often misinterpreted as actual habitability. The authors are also overly optimistic when they point out that the M4 class host star is relatively calm due to its age. That fact wouldn't matter much, though, if the first billion years of the star's existence have sterilized the planet and stripped off its atmosphere...

samstave 3y ago
Maybe just come up with a better/different label for planets who share a similar ratio of planet-to-star characteristics with Earth, which is a sample size of known_to_support_life=1. "Orbital Cousins to Earth" OCEs. Find the # of OCEs, and maybe we have finer granulation, Second Cousins have an atmosphere, Step-sisters have water and an OnlyPlanets account... (which seems to be making the rounds at Nasa)
- weard_beard 3y ago
  https://youtu.be/ErpU_tMoV0E https://youtu.be/ErpU_tMoV0E
  - samstave 3y ago
    Holy crap! I've never watched that show, but thats funny as heck that this was a thing. (and they even say "I don't have HydroStatic Equillibrium yet...) too funny is the Akashic Zeitgeist...

davedx 3y ago

The entire notion of a 'habitable zone' is also very over-simplistic. Europa is quite probably 'habitable'.

7373737373 3y ago
I wish habitability metrics would be more holistic, taking into account the star and orbit characteristics, how sun+earthlike they really are
- throwawayqqq11 3y ago
  > orbit characteristics Also, our earth did propably produce complex life so well because of the moon stabilizing earths rotation and allowing more or less stable climate. The mass ratio of moon/earth is comparably larger then other satellite systems, which, encorporated into the model of habitable zones, would make them much less common. Also, jupiter has a significant role in shielding earth from asteriods. Another aspect of stability. I agree, habitable zone is way more than just distance to star or enough gravity for an atmosphere and liquid water.

moralestapia 3y ago

>just because they are easy to detect Well, for some threshold of "easy" I guess.