HONG KONG: According to the scientists, Neptune or any gas like planet can be made habitable in the future.
The scientists who wrote their paper and published it on the January 15 issue of Astrobiology said they used computer models to predict a possible gas planet that can support life in the future.
According to the researchers from the University of Washington, a Neptune like planet can become habitable by having tidal forces and vigorous stellar activity. Tidal force is the gravitational pull that a star exerts on surrounding planets.
Tidal force is represented by the moon of Earth that exerts such force although much weaker.
“This is the reason we have ocean tides on Earth, as tidal forces from both the moon and the sun can tug on the oceans, creating a bulge that we experience as a high tide,” said University of Washington doctoral student Rodrigo Luger. “Luckily, on Earth it’s really only the water in the oceans that gets distorted, and only by a few feet. But close-in planets, like those in the habitable zones of M dwarfs, experience much stronger tidal forces.”
There are different planets that scientists deem to be passable as gas planets. However, their stars are too far from them making it a very cold planet to live in. The scientists are expecting a planet that can be pulled into its star’s habitable zone by a tidal force to make it hotter. If it is closer to its stars, exposure to too much higher gamma and ultraviolet radiation will occur allowing the planet to be more habitable. According to the scientists, once the temperature increases, the gas will disperse, leaving a gas free planet that can be habitable.
“Such a planet is likely to have abundant surface water, since its core is rich in water ice,” Luger said. “Once in the habitable zone, this ice can melt and form oceans.”
