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There is no way that planet can ever support any kind of civilization. With a 13 day year, in less than 300 days they can drink legally! Or maybe I'm confused

There is no way that planet can ever support any kind of civilization. With a 13 day year, in less than 300 days they can drink legally! Or maybe I'm confused about where to draw the line with chauvinism. (shrug)

iamwil 19y ago
That's an interesting point. Then depending on the tilt of their planet, seasons go full cycle in about two weeks. I wonder what implications that has for the equivalent of photosynthetic life there. Are they "awake" and soaking up the sun for about a week before "sleeping" the second? Or do they just kinda ride it out? That would also influence the "animals" (i.e. non-photosynthetic life) there and its behaviors. That's all assuming they get energy from the sun. Maybe they can produce energy in other ways.
- Agathos 19y ago
  The answers can be inferred on Earth. Most photosynthetic organisms on Earth are not deciduous trees and don't have seasonal cycles. All of them do maintain circadian cycles to cope with the much faster and more dramatic day/night cycle. Or most? I know the cyanobacteria do and I'm pretty sure the purple bacteria do. The bacteriorhodopsin-users might not. If you call that photosynthesis.
- sspencer 19y ago
  Vernor Vinge had an excellent novel named "A Deepness in the Sky" that dealt with the development of intelligent life on a planet whose star would extinguish and re-ignite itself predictably. Something like 3 decades of ignition and then 7 or 8 decades of darkness. The dominant life form was a spider-like being that could hibernate and ride out the darkness by creating a "deepness" (essentially a den). Great book, with interesting insights about unusual planetary configurations with life. I highly recommend it to anyone who likes hard science fiction.
  - bct 19y ago
    The on-off star spent 215 years off, according to Wikipedia. A Fire Upon the Deep, set in the same universe, is excellent too.

iamwil 19y ago

That's an interesting point. Then depending on the tilt of their planet, seasons go full cycle in about two weeks. I wonder what implications that has for the equivalent of photosynthetic life there. Are they "awake" and soaking up the sun for about a week before "sleeping" the second? Or do they just kinda ride it out? That would also influence the "animals" (i.e. non-photosynthetic life) there and its behaviors. That's all assuming they get energy from the sun. Maybe they can produce energy in other ways.

Agathos 19y ago
The answers can be inferred on Earth. Most photosynthetic organisms on Earth are not deciduous trees and don't have seasonal cycles. All of them do maintain circadian cycles to cope with the much faster and more dramatic day/night cycle. Or most? I know the cyanobacteria do and I'm pretty sure the purple bacteria do. The bacteriorhodopsin-users might not. If you call that photosynthesis.
sspencer 19y ago
Vernor Vinge had an excellent novel named "A Deepness in the Sky" that dealt with the development of intelligent life on a planet whose star would extinguish and re-ignite itself predictably. Something like 3 decades of ignition and then 7 or 8 decades of darkness. The dominant life form was a spider-like being that could hibernate and ride out the darkness by creating a "deepness" (essentially a den). Great book, with interesting insights about unusual planetary configurations with life. I highly recommend it to anyone who likes hard science fiction.
- bct 19y ago
  The on-off star spent 215 years off, according to Wikipedia. A Fire Upon the Deep, set in the same universe, is excellent too.