Sign up to save your podcasts
Or
Share Episode 639: Waterworlds. Can There Be Life Without Land?
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Or
Episode 639: Waterworlds. Can There Be Life Without Land?
One of the longstanding questions astronomers have had is, are we normal? Is our Solar System a template for what we might expect to see as we look out into the Milky Way at other star systems?
As the data continues to come in, the answer to that question really seems to be no, we’re not normal. Star systems seem to have a huge variety of planets orbiting them. Familiar planets like our own terrestrial, gas and ice worlds. But then there are also super earths, mini-neptunes, hot jupiters.
And it looks like there are planets, located in their star’s habitable zone, which are completely covered with liquid water. Like, oceans which are dozens and maybe even hundreds of kilometers deep.
What would it be like on one of these worlds, and of course, we always want to know, could they be habitable?
Our Book is out!
https://www.amazon.com/Universe-Today-Ultimate-Viewing-Cosmos/dp/1624145442/
Audio Podcast version:
ITunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/universe-today-guide-to-space-audio/id794058155?mt=2
RSS: https://www.universetoday.com/audio
Weekly email newsletter:
https://www.universetoday.com/newsletter
Weekly Space Hangout:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0-KklSGlCiJDwOPdR2EUcg/
Astronomy Cast:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUHI67dh9jEO2rvK--MdCSg
Support us at https://www.patreon.com/universetoday
More stories at https://www.universetoday.com/
Twitch: https://twitch.tv/fcain
Twitter: https://twitter.com/universetoday
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/universetoday
Instagram - https://instagram.com/universetoday
Team: Fraser Cain - @fcain / [email protected]
Karla Thompson - @karlaii / https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEItkORQYd4Wf0TpgYI_1fw
Chad Weber - [email protected]
References:
https://www.usgs.gov/special-topic/water-science-school/science/how-much-water-there-earth?qt-science_center_objects=0#qt-science_center_objects
https://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=1385+kilometer+
https://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=1.06%C3%9710%5E19+kilograms&assumption=%22ClashPrefs%22+-%3E+%22%22
https://www.spacetelescope.org/news/heic1916/
https://arxiv.org/abs/1909.04642
https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/2041-8213/ab7229
https://www.cam.ac.uk/research/news/large-exoplanet-could-have-the-right-conditions-for-life
https://www.pnas.org/content/116/20/9723
https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-4357/aad6e0
https://www.news.iastate.edu/news/2020/02/27/waterworld
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NJSCRPeNpU
Support Universe Today Podcast
View all episodes
By Fraser Cain
4.7
516516 ratings
One of the longstanding questions astronomers have had is, are we normal? Is our Solar System a template for what we might expect to see as we look out into the Milky Way at other star systems?
As the data continues to come in, the answer to that question really seems to be no, we’re not normal. Star systems seem to have a huge variety of planets orbiting them. Familiar planets like our own terrestrial, gas and ice worlds. But then there are also super earths, mini-neptunes, hot jupiters.
And it looks like there are planets, located in their star’s habitable zone, which are completely covered with liquid water. Like, oceans which are dozens and maybe even hundreds of kilometers deep.
What would it be like on one of these worlds, and of course, we always want to know, could they be habitable?
Our Book is out!
https://www.amazon.com/Universe-Today-Ultimate-Viewing-Cosmos/dp/1624145442/
Audio Podcast version:
ITunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/universe-today-guide-to-space-audio/id794058155?mt=2
RSS: https://www.universetoday.com/audio
Weekly email newsletter:
https://www.universetoday.com/newsletter
Weekly Space Hangout:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0-KklSGlCiJDwOPdR2EUcg/
Astronomy Cast:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUHI67dh9jEO2rvK--MdCSg
Support us at https://www.patreon.com/universetoday
More stories at https://www.universetoday.com/
Twitch: https://twitch.tv/fcain
Twitter: https://twitter.com/universetoday
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/universetoday
Instagram - https://instagram.com/universetoday
Team: Fraser Cain - @fcain / [email protected]
Karla Thompson - @karlaii / https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEItkORQYd4Wf0TpgYI_1fw
Chad Weber - [email protected]
References:
https://www.usgs.gov/special-topic/water-science-school/science/how-much-water-there-earth?qt-science_center_objects=0#qt-science_center_objects
https://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=1385+kilometer+
https://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=1.06%C3%9710%5E19+kilograms&assumption=%22ClashPrefs%22+-%3E+%22%22
https://www.spacetelescope.org/news/heic1916/
https://arxiv.org/abs/1909.04642
https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/2041-8213/ab7229
https://www.cam.ac.uk/research/news/large-exoplanet-could-have-the-right-conditions-for-life
https://www.pnas.org/content/116/20/9723
https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-4357/aad6e0
https://www.news.iastate.edu/news/2020/02/27/waterworld
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NJSCRPeNpU
Support Universe Today Podcast
More shows like Universe Today Podcast
View all
Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and Science
1,345 Listeners
Astronomy Cast
2,866 Listeners
The 365 Days of Astronomy
336 Listeners
Ask a Spaceman!
804 Listeners
The Quanta Podcast
501 Listeners
Space Nuts: Astronomy Insights & Cosmic Discoveries
223 Listeners
SpaceTime: Your Guide to Space & Astronomy
320 Listeners
Daniel and Kelly’s Extraordinary Universe
2,307 Listeners
The Supermassive Podcast
287 Listeners
Why This Universe?
363 Listeners
This Week in Space (Audio)
135 Listeners
The LIUniverse with Dr. Charles Liu
55 Listeners
Astrum Space
134 Listeners
The Astrophysics Podcast
52 Listeners
Crash Course Pods: The Universe
505 Listeners