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> At 1/100 distance, wouldn't a hypothetical planet be tidally locked to the white dwarf? Probably. Well, usually. If something gave that planet a very hard kn
by A_D_E_P_T 2y ago
> At 1/100 distance, wouldn't a hypothetical planet be tidally locked to the white dwarf?
Probably. Well, usually. If something gave that planet a very hard knock, it could spin up for a while, especially if it's around the outer limits of the proposed habitable zone.
> Could tidally locked planets be suitable for life?
Definitely. Depends how well they're able to redistribute heat from the hot side to the dark side. So atmospheric composition and water content (also the presence and extent of surface water) would be the decisive factors. You'd get wild weather, though.
- 867-5309 2y agoit's a hard knock white dwarf dust
- Loughla 2y agoThat's almost a joke. I don't know what to categorize that as. It isn't a pun. What is that?
- bovermyer 2y agoIt's technically a filk, just really short.
- thehappypm 2y ago“It’s a hard knock white.. dwarf dust!” Is the joke
- Loughla 2y agoYes. I understand. I was saying it's almost a joke. But for real what is it called when the things you're saying don't necessarily rhyme with the original phrase but have a similar cadence?
- thehappypm 2y agoThis does (nearly) rhyme
- bell-cot 2y ago> Definitely. Depends how well... I'm less optimistic. Between the fraction of the planet's surface that's suitable for life, the lack of tides, the (likely) lack of plate tectonics, and impairment of the various cycles ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biogeochemical_cycle https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biogeochemical_cycle ) - tidal locking to the star will profoundly degrade the planet's suitability for life. Tidal locking may also rule out having a planetary magnetic field. Though "protect the atmosphere" may not matter much, if said atmosphere (plus the water) has all condensed and frozen on the dark side of the planet.
- mapt 2y agoDepending on the thickness and composition of the atmosphere, convection may be sufficient to prevent ice buildup. The thing about a tidally locked planet, and about marginally habitable planets in general, is that whatever the average, there are a wide range of surface conditions and often the spectrum is large enough that some subset of them are habitable.
- MichaelZuo 2y agoWouldn’t the entire planet experience very high winds nearly all the time?
- deleted 2y ago[deleted]
- tzs 2y agoDoes the atmosphere need protecting? White dwarfs don’t have solar wind.
- deleted 2y ago[deleted]